Insulation Audit (Thermal) in Toronto

Standalone insulation thermal audit: $250–$450. Pre/post insulation work scan (verifies coverage): $150–$250. Full thermal envelope survey + recommendations memo + scope-of-work for retrofit work: $395–$595. The audit fee is credited toward any retrofit contract over $2,500. Toronto market: $250–$450 (Windfall full audit $500 + $250 follow-up; ours is supplementary, not EnerGuide).

No. EnerGuide ratings are formal energy assessments delivered by NRCan-Registered Energy Advisors at licensed Service Organizations and are required for Ontario HRS rebate eligibility on insulation and air-sealing work. Our thermal audit is a diagnostic supplement — useful for prioritization and renovation planning but NOT for rebate paperwork. For HRS rebate-eligible work we refer to NRCan partners (Windfall, Green Venture, Reep, EnerSolution) for the EnerGuide rating; we do the renovation.

Cold-weather months (October–March) — strongly preferred. The temperature differential between inside (~21°C) and outside (~-5°C) is what makes thermal anomalies visible. Summer audits work for AC duct leaks but are dramatically less effective for envelope insulation diagnostics. December–February gives the best results.

No — Ontario HRS rebates on insulation and air-sealing require a pre and post EnerGuide assessment by a Registered Energy Advisor at a licensed Service Organization. Our thermal audit is a separate, supplementary diagnostic. We can refer you to a partner SO who does the EnerGuide work, then we (RenoHouse) do the actual insulation/retrofit and you keep the rebate.

Thermal audit shows WHERE heat loss is happening (visual). Blower-door test measures HOW MUCH total air leakage there is (quantitative). They're complementary. EnerGuide ratings require both. Our thermal-only audit is faster and cheaper than a full EnerGuide audit; the blower door pressure-differential testing is the gap we DON'T fill — we partner with NRCan SOs for that.

60–90 minutes for an average Toronto detached home. 90–120 minutes for larger homes or those with finished attics or complex roof lines. PDF report delivered within 24–48 hours.

A thermal bridge is a part of the building envelope where heat flows much more easily than the surrounding insulation — for example, at exterior wall corners (where insulation depth is reduced), at roof-wall transitions (where the wall cavity is interrupted), or at wood-stud locations (wood is R-1 per inch, fibreglass is R-3 per inch, so a stud is a 'cold stripe' between two insulated cavities). Thermal cameras show these as cool stripes / spots — sometimes the entire reason a room feels cold despite "good" insulation.

We document the location (with thermal image and visual photo), recommend the appropriate retrofit (blown-in cellulose for attic, dense-pack cellulose or spray foam for wall cavities, rim-joist spray foam, recessed-light air-sealing covers), and quote the work. RenoHouse does insulation retrofits in-house — we don't sub it out — so the audit-to-retrofit handoff is seamless.