Anthon Pang, Sales Representative, e-PRO, SRES

While I haven't seen the final 'D' audit report, this much is clear: my basement leaks air like a seive. The main reason is because the basement is unfinished. Sure, there's batt insulation in the rim joists -- there just isn't enough, and there are gaps. (There's a little breeze in one corner.) Yeah, there's a polyethylene vapor/air barrier -- but it doesn't work well when it's hung loosely by a staple or two. And there is a foundation insulation blanket -- except it only partially covers the foundation wall (i.e., it doesn't extend all the way down to the floor) and its original R-8 value has been comprised by compression.

Otherwise, the house is pretty tight. (It should be...it's only 3 years old.) Attic insulation is R-32 and the furnace is 91% AFUE.

So, the planned improvements/retrofits are:

Goal #1: insulate 100% of the basement's exterior wall area to R-23. Objective: $2000 in federal and provincial grants.

Goal #2: seal the basement header area and increase insulation value by R-20. Objective: $200 in fed/prov grants.

Goal #3: air sealing to increase airtightness, at least 20% better than the target. Objective: $600 in fed/prov grants.

If I replace the existing toilet in the upstairs powder room with an approved one, I could also qualify for a regional rebate. And because the existing toilet is a low flush toilet, but not on the approved list, it could be reused in a basement washroom, where there's currently a 3 pc rough-in. So:

Goal #4: replace toilet with low-flush or dual-flush toilet rated at 6 L/flush and meets Los Angeles Supplementary Purchase Specification (SPS), with a flush performance of 350 grams or more, and is on the Region of Peel's "Water Smart Toilet Replacement Program". Objective: $200 in federal, provincial, and regional grants/rebates.

No, not really.  The "Fall Every Kilowatt Counts Power Savings Event" runs from October 1st, 2008 to November 16th, 2008.

Visit Every Kilowatt Counts for more information.  You can download coupons, get energy efficiency tips, and find contests and educational activities for your kid.

I kicked off the day with an ecoENERGY evaluation ('D' audit).  Later in the day, I installed insulating switch and plug outlet foam gaskets (aka insulating sealers, draft outlet seals, or insulators).  You can find a pack of 10 seals at Canadian Tire (made in Canada, CSA and UL approved), currently on sale for $3.59.  The best online price (unfortunately, they only ship within the US) is 20 cents per piece at GoodCommonSense.net. (Disclaimer: I have no personal shopping experience with them.)

A little background history: In 2006, the Conservatives scrapped the Liberals' Energuide for Houses program, tinkered with it a bit, and relaunched their own ecoENERGY program in 2007. Instead of a federal subsidy paying about half of the cost of audits and a portion of the retrofit costs, the new plan simply increases the coverage for retrofit costs.

Getting your grant money in 5 "easy" steps:

1. Hire a qualified energy advisor to perform an energy evaluation of your home. A list of qualified energy advisors can be found on the NRCAN web site. This pre-retrofit audit is also known as a 'D' audit.
2. Select any of the recommended improvements from the home energy action checklist prepared by your advisor.
3. Implement the desired energy upgrades within 18 months.
4. Call your energy advisor to perform your post-retrofit evaluation (also known as an 'E' audit), to confirm your new energy rating and to submit your application on your behalf.
5. Wait to receive your cheque in the mail (up to 90 days) based on the eligible upgrades performed.

Note: You're under no obligation to perform all 5 steps. Maybe you just want to know how energy efficient (or inefficient) your home is. In Ontario, the province will rebate up to half of the cost (max $150) of the 'D' audit, whether or not you implement any retrofits or perform an 'E' audit. If you do apply for the grant, Ontario matches the federal amount, dollar for dollar.

BTW a list of qualifying improvements can be found on the NRCan website.

For more information:

• Natural Resources Canada : ecoENERGY Retrofit for Homeowners
• Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure : Home Energy Audit Program : Backgrounder
• Ontario Home Energy Audit and Home Energy Retrofit Rebate Program

p.s. I've booked my ecoENERGY audit/evaluation for this Wednesday. I'll be blogging about my progress here.

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The Ontario Real Estate Association's Government Relations Department is reporting that the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services is backing away from establishing a province-wide grow-op registry due to liability and privacy concerns. Instead, the Ministry is looking at the possibility of registering work orders on title, which I'd argue (1) does not eliminate the liability and privacy concerns -- moreover, impossible in any scenario -- and (2) is cumbersome and costly for users for the little added information that it provides. (Requesting a copy of the parcel register off GeoWarehouse is $28 for the first page and $3 per additional page.)

But let's take a step back. Do we even need a central registry?

The legislation changes introduced by the Law Enforcement and Forfeited Property Management Statute Law Amendment Act already requires municipalities to inspect grow-ops reported by police and order repairs. And the Agreement of Purchase and Sale includes, within clause 10 (Title), the opportunity to file an objection to any outstanding work order by the requisition date.

It would make much more sense to make compliance reports the norm (similar to obtaining status certificates on condos). For example, one can purchase a property compliance report from the City of Mississauga ($100 for the initial report, $30 for subsequent updates). And as one can see from these reports, they show a lot more than just outstanding work orders:

• Roll Number
• Legal Description
• Subdivision Assumption Date (where available)
• Outstanding Violations and Works Order (Building, Plumbing, HVAC, Sign, Fire, and Bylaw - Property Standards)
• Outstanding By-law Enforcement Complaints
• In Force Zoning Designation
• Zoning Attachments - excerpts from the Zoning By-law (general provisions)
• Committee of Adjustment (variances and consents) - includes attachments of the decisions
• Property Heritage Status - specifies if the property is currently Designated under by-law
• Outstanding Building Permit Applications
• Outstanding Inspections on Issued Permits
• Fire Prevention Inspections - displays last date of Fire Prevention Inspection

But once again privacy issues intervene. According to the City of Mississauga's by law enforcement division, their compliance report does not show work orders for the remediation of a grow op.

It also appears that Bill 18 (Grow Ops Disclosure Act) -- a private member's bill which requires (among other things) municipal police and the OPP to publish lists of busted grow op locations -- may not receive second reading.

How do you protect yourself? Get written disclosures, inspect, and test!