Agenda

Energy advisors assess the energy performance of residential homes and provide advice on potential energy savings during the design, construction and renovation stages.

To become a registered Energy Advisor with Natural Resources Canada, prospective candidates must first pass the Foundation Level and Energy Advisor exams. After successfully passing these exams, there is a requirement for completing probationary files with a licensed service organization and maintaining an association with at least one licensed service organization thereafter.

This interactive four-day course provides a detailed understanding of the processes and steps required to do the job of a registered energy advisor. The student will gain an in-depth knowledge of what information is required to be collected for an existing home or a home yet to be built. This involves knowing not only what to collect but also why the information is required and how to apply it effectively. Having a complete understanding of why the information is obtained and how it is used will empower the energy advisor to provide effective, logical and customer-focused energy-efficiency upgrade options.

Students will obtain an in-depth working knowledge of HOT2000 (NRCan’s energy-modelling software). This includes creating custom components and fuel-cost libraries, a fully worked example of an energy model including upgrades and reports. By the end of the course, a potential energy advisor will have a full working knowledge of all aspects regarding what it takes to be an effective energy advisor, how to interact with the homeowner, what information is required, how to collect the correct information, how to interpret the information, how to create a customized energy-efficiency roadmap and how to model a file in Hot2000 and generate the relevant outputs.

This is an exam-preparation course but it is far more than that; it also includes the application of the learned principles. The objective of the course is to guide the student to get well prepared for the exam and become an effective and knowledgeable energy advisor and residential energy sector specialist after passing the exam.

After obtaining the energy advisor designation, those new energy advisors affiliated with a licensed service organization will be able to conduct energy evaluations in accordance with NRCan’s EnerGuide Version 15 guidelines in Part 9 regarding residential buildings, excluding the MURB, which requires an additional type of professional certification to evaluate.

1. EnerGuide Rating System
   • General knowledge of EnerGuide Rating System, its communication tools and related services
   • EnerGuide rating and its related terminology and calculations
   • Basic Service
   • Data collection
   • General requirements
   • Requirements for building envelope components
   • Requirements for mechanical systems
   • Renovation upgrade service
   • Construction blower door service
   • Construction upgrade service for new homes
   • Blower door tests
   • Air leakage location identification procedure
   • Exhaust devices depressurization test

2. HOT2000 Modelling Version 11

   • HOT2000 software and modelling
   • General HOT2000 features
   • Create new house file using the House wizard
   • Model a house using the HOT2000 main interface
   • Submit HOT2000 house files and generate reports and labels

3. Administration and Delivery of EnerGuide Rating System Version 15

   • Code of ethics, code of conduct and conflict of interest guidelines
   • Roles and responsibilities of NRCan
   • Roles and responsibilities of service organizations
   • Roles and responsibilities of the service organization manager
   • Roles and responsibilities of energy advisors
   • Roles and responsibilities of builders
   • Registration, designation and re-qualification process for service organizations, service providers, and builders
   • Suspension and delinquency / deregistration

4. Quality Assurance of the EnerGuide Rating System Version 15

   • General quality assurance knowledge
   • Roles and responsibilities regarding quality assurance

CERTIFICATION PROCESS

How can I become an energy advisor?

You will find all information on Natural Ressources Canada’s website. Notably, to register as an energy advisor to deliver services under EnerGuide Rating System v.15, energy advisor candidates must demonstrate proficiency by:

• Passing the Foundation Level exam
• Passing the Energy Advisor exam
• Being affiliated with a service organization

What is the energy advisor exam process?

For more details on the exam process, you are invited to read the Candidate Exam Handbook by Natural Ressources Canada.