Sigh… We call this “Heather’s door” because it is Heather’s dream to bring light into our coffin-like kitchen with virtually no light from the small, west-facing window. But, when you open the front door, which opens into the kitchen, sunlight pours into the kitchen, transforming it into a warm, inviting place.

Our official Home Energy Audit report says the following about the priority we should give to our windows and doors as part of our green retrofits.

Windows and Doors:

• Replace 9 windows with models that are ENERGY STAR qualified for climate zone B.
  Federal incentive: $360
• Replace 2 exterior doors with a model that is ENERGY STAR qualified for climate zone B.
  Federal incentive: $80
  Potential Rating Improvement: 1.2 points for ALL 9 windows and 2 doors

A mere drop in the bucket this is: $440 in incentives/rebates, and a measly 1.2 EnerGuide points…. when you consider the fact that more than $10,000 in rebates is available, and that we need to gain 21 EnerGuide points to qualify for those rebates!

On top of that, the energy auditor who visited our home told us that a new door won’t save a lot in energy bills during the course of a year, either.

But hey, what about quality of life? What if Heather’s door makes Heather a nicer person to live with?! That’s gotta be worth a lot of points in someone’s books.

I sit down with a big cup of joe to open it, feeling disconcertedly like a kid on Report Card day. And there it is… our grade. It’s not a fail, whew; it’s a…. 61.

Our home received a C- as our Energuide rating, or, as they like to call it: in the range of “upgraded old house.”

The desired rating – what the government will need to see in order for us to get our ecoENERGY rebates?

We need to reach 81.

OK, so we have a ways to go… how hard can it be to move up 20 points in energy-efficiency?

The 17-page home audit report from GreenTech Services told me just how hard it’s going to be!! Over the next few blog posts, I will spell out the findings and recommendations of this tome of information.

For now, let me share my favourite bit of the Energy Efficiency Evaluation Report – which I see has been officially filed with the Ontario Government; our humble abode is now a 10-digit file number.

The last paragraph of the report reads, in part:

“You have up to 18 months from the date of this report [Aug 18th] or until March 31, 2011, whichever comes first, to complete your renovations and qualify for an ecoENERGY Retrofit Homes grant. The sooner you start your renovations, the sooner you will benefit from the energy savings. And let’s not forget how reduced energy consumption helps protect the environment.“

Hahaha, I just love the condescending schoolteacher tone of that last sentence! I feel like my knuckles have been rapped for my lazy attitude about the planet to date!

Next up: Wading our way through 17 pages of single-spaced “Home Energy Action Checklist” and related reading materials which reads like a textbook. Don’t worry we’ll summarize just the highlights, the “sexy bits”!