EnerGuide Rating System: Energy Advisor Procedures Manual

88 Pages·2012·1.63 MB·English

EnerGuide Rating System:
Energy Advisor Procedures Manual
Draft — June 2008

EnerGuide Rating System:
Energy Advisor Procedures Manual
Produced by Natural Resources Canada
Office of Energy Efficiency

EnerGuide is the official Government of Canada mark associated with the labeling and
rating of the energy consumption or energy efficiency of household appliances, heating
equipment, air conditioners, houses and vehicles. The EnerGuide Rating System (ERS)
provides for the energy evaluation of newly-built homes by unbiased, qualified and
licensed energy advisors retained by service organizations in communities across
Canada. Energy advisors use their expertise in combination with energy modeling
software to help homebuilders and homebuyers make informed decisions while
choosing energy upgrades before building a new house. The service includes
consultation and advice, an evaluation of house plans, a report, and an EnerGuide
rating label. Visit our Web site at newhomes.gc.ca.

Aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Système de cote ÉnerGuide : Manuel des
procédures du conseiller en efficacité énergétique.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2008

June 2008

This document describes in detail NRCan’s energy efficiency evaluation protocols and
procedures for newly-built homes. It is intended for energy advisors and has been
developed for use during energy advisor workshops and as a reference manual. It is not
for general distribution.

For more information about this publication, or to obtain authorization to reproduce it in
whole or in part, please write to:
EnerGuide Rating System
Housing Division
Natural Resources Canada
580 Booth Street, 18th floor
Ottawa ON KlA 0E4
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

You can visit the EnerGuide Rating System web site at newhomes.gc.ca. You can also
view or order several of the Office of Energy Efficiency’s publications on-line. Visit our
Energy Publications Virtual Library at oee.nrcan.gc.ca/infosource.

Contents

Module 1 Introduction to the EnerGuide Rating System................................................. 1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1
Why was the EnerGuide Rating System developed? ................................................... 1
What is the EnerGuide Rating System?........................................................................... 1
How will the EnerGuide Rating System affect your business? ................................. 3
Who administers the EnerGuide Rating System? ........................................................ 4
How to become an energy advisor? ................................................................................. 4
Energy advisor workshop .................................................................................................... 5
Energy advisor suggested equipment list ...................................................................... 6
Module 2 Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Combustion Spillage............................. 9
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 9
Indoor air quality .................................................................................................................... 9
Indoor air quality and energy efficiency .......................................................................... 9
Moisture .................................................................................................................................. 10
Absolute vs. relative humidity .......................................................................................... 12
Controlling moisture and indoor air pollutant problems .......................................... 13
Ventilation and air leakage terminology ........................................................................ 15
Can we rely on natural ventilation to control moisture and indoor air pollutants?
................................................................................................................................................... 16
Why do we make houses airtight and then mechanically ventilate them? .......... 17
How much ventilation is required? ................................................................................. 18
What kind of mechanical ventilation system is required? ........................................ 18
The dangers of combustion spillage .............................................................................. 20
When is combustion spillage a problem? ..................................................................... 21
What are some of the signs of combustion spillage? ............................................... 21
Designing to reduce the potential for combustion spillage ..................................... 22
Dealing with combustion spillage ................................................................................... 23
Module 3 Preparing for the Plan Evaluation ..................................................................... 25
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 25
Conducting the pre-evaluation interview with the homebuilder in preparation for
the plan evaluation .............................................................................................................. 25
Module 4 Conducting the Plan Evaluation and Developing Upgrade Packages .... 27
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 27
Data accuracy and precision ............................................................................................ 27
Dimension conventions and energy simulation software data interpretation .... 28
File-naming protocol ........................................................................................................... 30
Creating the “P” file............................................................................................................. 30
Developing upgrade recommendations......................................................................... 30
Windows, doors and skylights ..................................................................................... 32
Heating and cooling systems ....................................................................................... 32
Thermostats................................................................................................................... 3837
Fuel switching ............................................................................................................... 3837
Air conditioning ............................................................................................................ 3837
Ventilation ...................................................................................................................... 3938
Drain water heat recovery .......................................................................................... 4645
EnerGuide Rating System: Energy Advisor Procedures Manual i
Low-flush toilets ........................................................................................................... 4746
Summary ............................................................................................................................ 4746
Module 5 Preparing for the As-Built Evaluation .......................................................... 5049
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 5049
Conducting the pre-evaluation interview with the homebuilder in preparation for
the as-built evaluation .................................................................................................... 5049
House description ........................................................................................................ 5150
Access............................................................................................................................. 5150
Heating system ............................................................................................................. 5150
Reporting results ......................................................................................................... 5150
Closing the interview .................................................................................................. 5150
Module 6 Conducting a Blower Door Test .................................................................... 5453
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 5453
What is a blower door?................................................................................................... 5453
Conducting a blower door test ..................................................................................... 5554
Blower door test procedures .................................................................................... 5655
Results of the blower door test .................................................................................... 6261
Blower door test data .................................................................................................. 6261
Blower door test criteria............................................................................................. 6261
Air change per hour..................................................................................................... 6261
Equivalent leakage area (ELA) ................................................................................. 6261
The exponent n ............................................................................................................. 6362
Correlation coefficient r ............................................................................................. 6362
Relative standard error ............................................................................................... 6463
Normalized leakage area (NLA) ................................................................................ 6463
Communicating test results to the client .................................................................. 6463
Technical Specifications for Blower Doors .............................................................. 6564
Module 7 Conducting the As-Built Evaluation and Preparing the As-Built House
File ............................................................................................................................................ 6665
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 6665
Conducting the as-built evaluation ............................................................................. 6665
Arrival .............................................................................................................................. 6665
Exterior evaluation....................................................................................................... 6766
Interior evaluation ........................................................................................................ 6766
Blower door testing and combustion spillage ..................................................... 6766
Preparing the as-built house file .................................................................................. 6968
Module 8 The Energy Efficiency Evaluation Report and Label ............................... 7069
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 7069
The EnerGuide Rating System report......................................................................... 7069
House and customer information ............................................................................ 7069
Rating .............................................................................................................................. 7069
Typical ratings .............................................................................................................. 7069
Estimated annual energy consumption ................................................................. 7170
Environmental message............................................................................................. 7170
Estimated energy consumption by end use ......................................................... 7170
Estimated heat loss ..................................................................................................... 7170
EnerGuide Rating System: Energy Advisor Procedures Manual ii
Energy-saving tips ....................................................................................................... 7271
Other comments or observations ............................................................................ 7271
Notice to homeowner .................................................................................................. 7271
Notice to homebuilder ................................................................................................ 7271
The EnerGuide label ........................................................................................................ 7372
Module 9 Reporting Evaluation Results ........................................................................ 7675
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 7675
Exporting files ................................................................................................................... 7675
Quality assurance auditing ........................................................................................... 7776
Appendix 1 Energy Efficiency Rating Calculation Procedure ................................. 7877
Appendix 2 Calculation of the Required Amount of Ventilation to be Added during
and EnerGuide Rating (New Houses) Run .................................................................... 8281

EnerGuide Rating System: Energy Advisor Procedures Manual iii
Disclaimer
Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Natural
Resources (“Canada”) makes no representations about the suitability for any purpose of
the information (the “Information”) contained in this document. All such Information is
provided on an “as is” basis and Canada makes no representations or warranties
respecting the Information, either expressed or implied, arising by law or otherwise,
including but not limited to, effectiveness, completeness, accuracy or fitness for a
particular purpose. Canada does not assume any liability in respect of any damage or
loss incurred as a result of the use of the Information. In no event shall Canada be liable
in any way for loss of revenue or contracts, or any other consequential loss of any kind
resulting from the use of the Information.

Foreword
The EnerGuide Rating System (ERS) is a service developed by the Office of Energy
Efficiency of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to encourage energy efficiency
improvements in new homes. NRCan has published this manual for use by service
organizations in preparing energy advisors to implement the EnerGuide Rating System.
It is supplemented by instructor training material, administrative procedures, and
technical and reference material.

Acknowledgement
NRCan gratefully acknowledges the following organizations for contributing some
illustrations and information used throughout this document:
• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
• Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA)
• Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI)
• National Energy Conservation Association (NECA)

Note to Reader
The information contained in this document applies only to the energy efficiency
evaluation of newly-built homes.
EnerGuide Rating System: Energy Advisor Procedures Manual iv
Module 1
Introduction to the EnerGuide Rating System

Introduction
Although many Canadians are already taking steps to improve the energy efficiency of
their homes, many homeowners, homebuyers and homebuilders wonder if there is more
they can do to reduce energy consumption. The EnerGuide1 Rating System measures
the energy performance of houses, assists in developing energy efficiency upgrade
packages that can be offered to new-home buyers, and provides energy ratings so that
homebuyers can compare the energy efficiency of different houses.

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:
• explain the EnerGuide Rating System to homebuyers and homebuilders;
• list the objectives of the EnerGuide Rating System and its benefits to the
environment;
• list the benefits of the EnerGuide Rating System to homebuyers and
homebuilders; and
• list the benefits of becoming an EnerGuide Rating System energy advisor.
Homeowners, homebuyers and homebuilders are referred to as “the client” within
this manual. The homebuilder is the owner until the transfer of possession takes
place. The “client” is generally the person who requested the EnerGuide Rating
Service.

Why was the EnerGuide Rating System developed?
NRCan has a mandate to promote energy efficiency in all sectors of the economy and
to reduce the environmental impact of energy use. The residential sector accounts for
about 17 percent of secondary energy use in Canada. Canadians are among the
highest per capita consumers of energy in the world, in part because of the country’s
climate and size, but also because of inefficient energy use. The housing sector as a
whole has been encouraged to reduce its energy consumption and reduce its impact on
climate change through initiatives such as NRCan’s EnerGuide Rating System and the
R-20002 Standard.

The EnerGuide Rating System encourages homebuyers to choose more energy-
efficient homes and homebuilders to increase the energy efficiency of the houses that
they build. EnerGuide is a highly recognized trademark, already well known by
consumers as an energy efficiency rating for home appliances. Its extension as the
identifier of a rating system for houses was a logical next step.

What is the EnerGuide Rating System?
The EnerGuide Rating System provides energy evaluations of new houses at the plan

1 EnerGuide is an official mark of Natural Resources Canada.
2 R-2000 is an official mark of Natural Resources Canada.
EnerGuide Rating System: Energy Advisor Procedures Manual 1
stage prior to construction. Its purpose is to improve the energy efficiency and reduce
the environmental impact of the new housing stock in Canada by identifying
opportunities for energy savings. A properly executed energy evaluation determines the
amount of heat loss from each component of the house, estimates energy consumption
and makes recommendations to the client on how to improve energy efficiency.

The EnerGuide Rating System evaluation is conducted by an energy advisor who
collects data from the homebuilder, the plan specifications and building plans. This data
is entered into a specially designed software program called HOT20003. Default air
change per hour (ACH) and orientation values are used at the plan evaluation stage to
determine conservative projected ratings for various upgrade options. The energy
advisor works with the homebuilder to identify where energy efficiency upgrades can be
made to the house specifications, prior to the home being built, while considering the
comfort, health and safety of occupants, and maintaining the structural integrity of the
home. Once the upgrade package has been developed and chosen, and the house has
been completed and is habitable, the energy advisor performs an on-site, as-built
evaluation to verify house orientation and to confirm the applied energy upgrades. The
energy advisor also performs a fan depressurization test (“blower door test”) to
determine the airtightness of the building envelope and an exhaust devices
depressurization test, if applicable, to determine if there is a potential for combustion
spillage caused by exhaust devices. Once the as-built evaluation has been completed,
the energy advisor enters the actual values for ACH, orientation and any other data that
reflects the house as-built into the HOT2000 software. A report and rating label are then
generated that contain information on the house’s rating and its estimated energy
usage. The builder provides the report and label to the homebuyer as unbiased and
third-party “proof” of the energy efficiency of the home.

To be eligible for an energy evaluation, the house must:
 be covered under Part 9 (low-rise, detached, semi-detached and row houses) or
under Part 2 (for mobile homes on a permanent foundation only) of the National
Building Code of Canada;
 not be older than 6 months starting from the date of occupancy by the first owner;
 be complete and habitable at the stage of the as-built evaluation (i.e., complete
building envelope, functional mechanical systems in place, etc.); and
 meet provincial/territorial and local building codes or requirements or, in the
absence of such codes or requirements, the requirements of the current version
of the National Building Code of Canada.

Low-rise multi-unit residential buildings are also eligible provided that they are either,
duplex, triplex or apartment buildings, up to three (3) stories above grade and one-
hundred percent of the building is used for residential purposes. For more information
on the eligibility requirements and evaluation procedures for low-rise multi-unit
residential buildings, refer to the document entitled Evaluation Procedures for Low-Rise
Multi-Unit Residential Buildings.

3 HOT2 is a registered trademark of Natural Resources Canada.

EnerGuide Rating System: Energy Advisor Procedures Manual 2
The EnerGuide Rating System is based on the “house as a system” concept. Upgrades
could affect heat loss, indoor air quality and the operation of mechanical systems.
Consequently, the energy advisor works with the builder at the plan evaluation stage to
recommend construction materials, details or techniques, as well as mechanical
systems to avoid problems such as heat loss, poor indoor air quality or combustion
spillage once the house has been constructed. The energy advisor must identify and
inform the client of any condition that may become a problem as a result of a change in
building plans or problems that are noted during the as-built evaluation, such as
combustion spillage.

In order to compare one house to another, the energy rating is based on standard
operating conditions rather than the actual operating conditions of a house. The rating is
based on:
• four occupants (two adults and two children) who are present 50 percent of the
time;
• a temperature set-point of 21°C for the main and upper floors and 19°C for the
basement;
• a consumption of 225 litres of domestic hot water per day;
• an electricity consumption for lighting and appliances of 24 kilowatt hours (kWh)
per day; and
• a total minimum monthly average ventilation rate of 0.30 air change per hour
during the heating season, including natural air infiltration and mechanical ventilation.

The EnerGuide Rating System is also fuel-neutral; i.e., it is not biased toward the use of
any particular fuel source, construction material, equipment or building technology. The
program rates energy use by volume, among other factors, so that large houses, which
use larger amounts of total energy, can receive ratings that are similar to smaller
houses, which use less total energy.

How will the EnerGuide Rating System affect your business?
Programs similar to the EnerGuide Rating System, such as the R-2000 Standard, have
been shown to have a marked effect on the housing sector. The R-2000 Standard is a
voluntary initiative and has relatively stringent requirements for energy efficiency,
environmental responsibility and quality assurance. Since not all builders construct
houses that meet the R-2000 Standard, the EnerGuide Rating System can be an
alternative to some builders who are interested in increasing the energy efficiency of
their houses towards R-2000 levels.

Some companies use the evaluation to generate business; others offer the evaluation
as an added service to work they are already undertaking. The EnerGuide Rating
System can be a powerful sales tool for new-home builders. The evaluation is objective
and clearly demonstrates to the client the areas of greatest heat loss in the home, what
upgrades would be most beneficial, and what the energy savings would be if
recommended upgrades were undertaken. The use of the computer program and the
blower door test increases the client’s confidence in your upgrade recommendations
EnerGuide Rating System: Energy Advisor Procedures Manual 3
because of the objectivity of these tools. For example, when performing an evaluation
on a house in the presence of the homebuilder, with the blower door test, the energy
advisor can demonstrate the exact location of air leakage points in the house and
determine how much air leakage is occurring. The client can actually visualize energy
losses. Without the blower door test, air leakage is difficult to demonstrate. You can
show homebuilders how energy efficient their houses already are and how much better
they can be.

You can also explain the impact that each of your upgrade recommendations will have
on comfort, indoor air quality, increased durability and resale value. Also, in many
cases, energy efficiency upgrades are much more cost-effective to do while the house
is being built. Homebuilders can use this service to show reduced operating costs of the
houses or to measure the energy efficiency upgrades they are selling.

Some clients may be motivated by an environmental message. Burning fossil fuels
produces greenhouse gases; the EnerGuide Rating System shows the potential energy
efficiency of the house, and demonstrates how each house’s impact on the environment
can be reduced.

Who administers the EnerGuide Rating System?
The EnerGuide Rating System was developed by NRCan with input from various
stakeholders. NRCan sets the standards for implementation and authorizes various
service organizations across Canada to implement the program according to these
standards. These service organizations train energy advisors, administer the program
according to established procedures, provide field supervision, and collate data from the
house evaluations undertaken by their energy advisors. They make regular reports to
NRCan so that the national database on energy consumption patterns and potential
energy savings in the housing sector is updated. For more information on the
administration of the EnerGuide Rating System, refer to the EnerGuide Rating System
Administrative Procedures for Newly-Built Houses.

How to become an energy advisor?
The first step is to contact the service organization for your region. Each service
organization may have their own procedures for individuals interesting in becoming
energy advisors, but below is an overview of the minimum requirements.

Individuals interested in becoming energy advisors should have knowledge and skills in
the following areas:
 low-rise housing, standard and energy-efficient construction practices;
 low-rise housing codes and standards;
 building materials (insulation types, sealants, etc.);
 residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems;
 building science, including the principles of the “house as a system”;
 the use of computers, modems, the Internet and e-mail;
 basic arithmetic and geometry;
 client relations (writing and oral skills); and
EnerGuide Rating System: Energy Advisor Procedures Manual 4