Green Canada Home Advisors Inc. is a company skilled in a wide and various technical fields that provides Energy Evaluation Services for both Residential homes and Commercial buildings, design of Net Zero Homes, Structural and HVAC design as well as fire protection design. Our team includes a variety of knowledgeable and experienced members with high professionalism and competency in the mentioned fields. At Green Canada Home Advisors, we offer a variety of trainings in all the fields related to energy evaluations and we know how to do it. Our most popular training courses include the courses required to become a Registered Energy Advisor (REA). For all other applications, please contact the office.

Who is a Registered Energy Advisors?

Registered Energy Advisors (REA) are in high demand across Canada, especially since the launch of the federal government Greener Homes Energy Grant and launching some other provincial and territorial programs. The government of Canada is investing in training REAs to meet increased demand. Young professionals with backgrounds in building science, environmental science, construction and HVAC science are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.

What is an NRCan-registered energy advisor?

The designation of energy advisor (EA) registered with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) means that a person has met and maintained all of the required qualifications to deliver EnerGuide rating services for eligible homes in Canada.

EAs can also gain additional qualifications to deliver other services such as EnerGuide for Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs), R2000 and ENERGY STAR for New Homes as well as Net Zero homes.

To qualify to be a registered Energy Advisor, candidates must pass two main exams including the Foundation Level Exam and the Energy Advisor (House) Exam and become  affiliated with an SO

Other qualifications need more training and exams to pass.

INTERESTED IN BECOMING AN ENERGY ADVISOR?

If you are motivated, join the growing number of qualified Advisors in Canada who are making a difference by advising homeowners and their contractors on renovations and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Green Canada Home advisors and its regional offices are looking for new REAs to join our team. We have been offering training courses and supporting energy advisors for and have successfully trained almost 50 energy advisors in Canada.  

TRAINERS:

 Our trainers have all the qualifications of NRCan for residential houses (MURB, Quality Assurance, R2000, Energy star for new homes) as well as Net Zero homes and commercial assessments. Also, our trainers are professional engineers with deep experience in teaching in various universities.   

QUALIFICATIONS

Strong candidates are people who have a background in building science, the construction trades, HVAC, mechanical and civil engineering educations, environmental sciences, and/or related fields.

In general, an EA must demonstrate knowledge and experience in key areas such as:

• EnerGuide Rating System
• Residential construction practices for low-rise housing
• Energy efficiency renovation practices
• Building science
• Basic arithmetic, geometry and computers skills
• Data collection requirements
• Energy simulation modeling using HOT2000, and
• Good client relations

Summary of the process to become an energy advisor

To become an EA, the candidate must pass two qualification exams, the Foundation Level Exam and the Energy Advisor (House) Exam and be affiliated with an NRCan-licensed service organization (SO) to finalize their registration with NRCan. You can search for a service organization in your area here.

• Pass the Foundation Level Exam
• Pass the Energy Advisor (House) exam
• Become affiliated with an SO

Candidates may contact and become affiliated with an NRCan-licensed SO prior to taking exams. SOs will sometimes support candidates through the entire training, exam, mentoring and registration process. However, candidates are only required to work with an SO for the final steps of confirming practical skills and registration with NRCan.

Once these steps are completed, the SO will notify NRCan to register the candidate.

The time required to complete the entire process will vary significantly depending on each EA candidate’s previous knowledge and work experience. Those with substantial relevant experience and knowledge could complete the process and become NRCan-registered EAs in less than one month, whereas candidates in need of training to gain the breadth and scope of knowledge required may require a year or more to complete the process.

Once the candidate has become an EA registered with NRCan, depending on the regulatory and program environment in the region where they provide EA services, it is recommended that all EAs continue to upgrade and maintain their knowledge and skills, to remain current with useful tools and regional requirements that can impact their work.

Preparing for the Exams

NRCan works with Yardstick Assessment Strategies who create, design, and proctor the exams. There are test centres available across Canada and Yardstick offers practice questions and tutorials on their exam registration site to assist in the preparation. Candidates will need to contact Yardstick when they are ready to schedule their exams.

NRCan does not offer any courses or workshops for these exams but as part of the preparation, candidates can look into the following:  

• Attend preparation courses offered by various organizations across Canada
• Prepare on their own

Foundation level exam 

This exam assesses the following seven competency categories, and is a prerequisite for taking the Energy Advisor (House) exam: 

• Communication and computer skills
• Numeracy
• Construction and renovation of low-rise housing
• Safety considerations; building envelope (new and existing homes)
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (new and existing homes)
• Building science principles; and 
• The house-as-a-system concept.

Contact our office to acquire a list of competencies, which will give candidates an idea about the types of questions found in the exam.

Energy Advisor (House) exam 

This exam assesses the four following competency categories in detail:

• Knowledge of EnerGuide Rating System
• Knowledge of the HOT2000 Modelling
• Ability to administer and deliver the EnerGuide Rating System
• Ability to perform general quality assurance on house files under the EnerGuide rating System Version 15

To help prepare for the exam please contact our office to access all relevant exam materials. Candidates will also gain access to the following program documents, which are key for successful exam preparation:  

• EnerGuide Rating System – Standard 
• EnerGuide Rating System – Administrative Procedures 
• EnerGuide Rating System – Technical Procedures 
• EnerGuide Rating System – HOT2000 User Guide and 
• EnerGuide Rating System – Quality Assurance Procedures