ARG ENERGY ADVISOR SERVICES
Fix Your Uncomfortable, Expensive-to-Heat Home
We help Greater Vancouver and Sunshine Coast homeowners transform energy-monster houses into comfortable, efficient homes through professional energy evaluations and comprehensive retrofit planning.
From Problems to Solutions
If you’re dealing with cold rooms, high energy bills, or planning major renovations, a deep energy retrofit approach solves these problems systematically.
What Is a Deep Energy Retrofit?
A deep energy retrofit goes beyond simple upgrades like adding insulation or replacing windows. It’s a comprehensive approach that:
- Identifies all energy problems in your home through professional evaluation
- Prioritizes improvements based on impact and cost-effectiveness
- Creates an integrated plan where improvements work together
- Can be implemented all at once or in phases over time
- Delivers measurable comfort improvements and energy savings
Why “Deep” Matters
Surface-level improvements often fail because they do not address the root causes of energy waste. A deep retrofit examines your entire home as a system—how the building envelope, mechanical systems, and air sealing work together (or do not).
Our Process
ARG Energy’s comprehensive energy evaluation identifies every source of energy waste and discomfort in your home.
Stage 1: Pre-Assessment Consultation
We discuss your specific problems, comfort issues, renovation plans, and goals for your home. This helps us focus the assessment on your priorities.
Stage 2: Onsite Assessment
Building Envelope Geometry
Measurements of exterior envelope surface components, such as foundations, walls, windows, doors, ceilings, exposed floors etc. are made.
Building Envelope Components
Insulation property estimates are made for each component area. Notes are made of salient air leakage, moisture issues, and thermal performance.
Mechanical Systems Review
Your heating, cooling, ventilation, and hot water systems are evaluated for efficiency, sizing, and condition.
Blower Door Test
We depressurize your home to measure total air leakage. This quantifies how much heated air is escaping through cracks, gaps, and unsealed penetrations. Manual tools and non-toxic smoke testers are used to identify and photograph air leaks for follow up remediation.
Thermal Imaging Option
Under appropriate climate conditions infrared cameras may be used to identify heat loss areas and other building component issues.
Stage 3: Energy Modeling
Using the Natural Resources Canada defined modelling software, we create a detailed energy model for your home, considering each energy related component. It estimates energy use averaged against 30 years of climate data for your home. The idea is to identify the role of each building component in the house-as-a-system. This back-end work takes much longer than the site visit and is subject to regular NRCan QA inspections.
Stage 4: Reports and Recommendation Outputs
You receive a comprehensive report including:
- EnerGuide Label: estimates the annual energy use of your home and compares it to a typical new home with the same configuration. It stays with the home and may add to the resale value.
- Home Owner Information Sheets: a summary of the measurements and insulation properties taken on site. This is a useful tool when discussing upgrades with contractors
- Recommended Upgrades: details of possible upgrades, and their priority with written and graphic information of potential energy savings of each upgrade, links to possible rebates and more – typically 15-17 pages.
- OPTION: CSA F280-12 heat loss calculations for your home in order to properly size mechanical heating and cooling systems for your home.
Stage 5: Implementation Support
Optional consulting services including energy use estimates of alternative upgrade paths and planning upgrade sequences for optimal results.
Stage 6: Post-Upgrade Optional Energy Evaluation
Upgrades are measured, documented and photographed. The energy model for your home is updated to produce a new EnerGuide Label and Homeowner Information Sheet that reflects changes made. These reports can be used during resale of the home to enhance the value. The reports may be required for some some rebate programs.
What’s Included in Your Energy Evaluation
Home Volume and Area Geometry Evaluation
We measure air volume, foundation, floors, walls, windows, doors, and ceilings. These measurements calculate each component’s heat loss and gain on an annual cycle using 30 years of climate data for your location.
House Envelope Insulation Properties
We estimate insulation values for each component and build an energy model using specialized software. This allows detailed house-as-a-system analysis. Upgrading the exterior envelope reduces energy demand and mechanical equipment sizing.
Air Leak Testing
We calculate air volume, perform blower-door testing, identify leaks with specialized tools, and conduct back-draft safety tests. Reducing air leakage is low-cost and high-value. Air leak sources significantly affect indoor air quality.
Mechanical Heating and Cooling Equipment
We record specifications for space heating/cooling, hot water, drain water heat recovery, and ventilation systems. Equipment capacity, efficiency, and performance curves intersect with envelope properties to project energy performance.
Renewable Energy Sources
We record solar system specifications, placement angles, and cardinal directions. Renewable energy is offset against conventional fuel use to determine your EnerGuide rating.
Air Leakage Also Affects Indoor Air Quality
Blower Door Testing in Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast
A blower door test measures how airtight your home is. We install a calibrated fan in an exterior doorway, depressurize the house, and measure exactly how much air is leaking through the building envelope. Combined with smoke pencils and thermal imaging, this pinpoints the specific locations where heated air is escaping — through gaps around windows, unsealed penetrations, attic hatches, and other weak points.
Blower door testing is a core part of every EnerGuide evaluation we conduct. The results quantify your home’s air leakage rate and directly inform which improvements will have the biggest impact on comfort and energy performance. For builders, blower door testing is also required for Step Code compliance at both the mid-construction and as-built verification stages.
Why Choose ARG Energy
ARG Energy specializes in comprehensive energy evaluations for Greater Vancouver and Sunshine Coast homes. As NRCan Registered Energy Advisors, we help homeowners identify energy problems and plan cost-effective improvements that deliver real results.
Clear Communication
Practical Solutions
Comprehensive Analysis
Ongoing Support
What Our Clients Say
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an evaluation take?
Typically 2-3 hours onsite, with a detailed report delivered within 1-2 weeks.
Do I have to implement all recommendations at once?
No. We prioritize recommendations so you can implement improvements in phases based on your budget and timeline.
Can I use my own contractor?
Absolutely. We provide detailed specifications that any qualified contractor can follow. Rebate programs may require using a member of BC’s regulated Home Performance Contractor Network.
Will improvements really save that much energy?
Yes. Our energy modelling calculates specific savings for your home based on current performance and proposed improvements.
How do I qualify for rebates?
We conduct the required EnerGuide evaluations both before and after improvements to qualify you for many rebates.
Many Energy Improvements Qualify for Provincial and Federal Rebates
Start Your Home Comfort Transformation Today
Our comprehensive energy evaluation provides the clarity you need. We serve homeowners across Greater Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast.
