Academic term project for Building Energy Performance graduate course completed by graduate students at the University of Waterloo

1. Home Energy Audit
Report
Prepared by Asad Ullah Malik and Xiaoyi Wang
Building Science Experts 7/7/19 Building Energy Analysis

2. 1
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction 5
2.0 Average Ontario Home 5
2.1 Electricity Use at Home 5
2.2 Natural Gas Use at Home 5
2.3 Common Causes of Costly Residential Energy Bills 5
3.0 General Details of the Audit 5
4.0 Energy Cost & Consumption 6
4.1 Green House Gas (GHG) Emission Effect 7
4.2 Gas Use Analysis 8
4.3 Electricity Use Analysis 10
4.4 Benchmarking Analysis 13
4.5 Estimated Annual Energy Cost Breakdown 15
5.0 General Characteristics of the House 16
5.1 Walls & Windows 16
5.2 Roofing 17
5.3 Domestic Air conditioning Unit 18
5.4 Domestic Furnace 18
5.5 Domestic Boiler 19
5.6 Lighting Systems 19
5.7 Plumbing Fixtures 20
5.8 Electrical Appliances 20
6.0 Recommendations 20
6.1 Electricity Charges Saving 20
6.2 Natural Gas Charges Saving 21
6.3 Further Investigative Steps 21
References 23
Appendix A 26
A.1 Annual Electricity Consumption for Various Household Appliances 26
A.2 Annual Air Conditioner Electricity Consumption 27
A.3 Annual Natural Gas Consumption for Furnace & Boiler 28
Appendix B 29
B.1 Aerial Views of the Audited house 29

3. 2
B.2 Pictures of External Air Conditioning Unit 30
B.3 Pictures of Water Heater and Dryer 31
Appendix C 32
C.1 Enbridge Gas Bills Data 32
C.2 Toronto Hydro Electricity Bills Data 34
C.3 Toronto Water Utility Bills Data 37

4. 3
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5. 4
July 7th
, 2019
Muhammad Sami Itrat
Veterinary Doctor
59 Sultan Pool Drive, Etobicoke, ON M9V 4H3
Dear Mr. Itrat,
Please enclosed the Energy Audit Report for your home located at 59 Sultan Pool Drive,
Etobicoke, ON M9V 4H3. The audit evaluates and analyses the past and current energy
consumption of the house and recommends energy saving measures by analysing Ontario
regulations and comparing it with the energy consumption of an average house in Ontario, Canada.
The details in this report are based on a thorough assessment of past energy consumption trends
and a complete review of the existing building systems and their operation. We have developed a
holistic approach to identifying and recommending energy conservation measures. Through out
the report various hyperlinks referring to the online websites or to other pages inside the report
have been added for faster navigation inside the document and for a better pictorial understanding
of the physical phenomenon described.
Our team has brought the expertise from Saudi Arabia, China and Pakistan which has significantly
contributed to the efficacy of the analysis.
I am certain that our Energy Audit satisfies your requirements.
Sincerely,
Asad Ullah Malik Xiaoyi Wang
Lead Auditor HVAC Specialist
222-868-8935 647-685-5878
aumalik@uwaterloo.ca xiaoyi.wang@uwaterloo.ca
Figure 1 Homeowner Residence (Photo by Asad Ullah Malik)

6. 5
1.0 Introduction
Energy Auditing is a process of becoming sufficiently familiar with a building so we can attempt
to assess the reasons why it uses the amount of energy that it does, and potentially suggest how it
might be improved. (Mather, D. 2019).
The audit i.e. home visit was conducted on 10th
June 2019 in the presence of the homeowner.
Average temperature was 15.7 ºC during the visit with a high of 19 ºC and a low of 12.4 ºC.
2.0 Average Ontario Home
2.1 Electricity Use at Home
Here are some facts of some of key statistics regarding residential electricity consumption in
Canada, based on research over the last decade:
In 2014, the average Canadian household used 11,135 kWh of electricity per year. The average
Ontario household uses about 9,500 kWh of electricity per year. (Residential Electricity and
Natural Gas Plans & Options, 2014)
According to Toronto Hydro, the single most expensive household appliance to run is a central air
conditioner. Water heaters, portable electric heaters, and ovens are also major energy consumers.
2.2 Natural Gas Use at Home
In Ontario, the average household uses 90 GJ of natural gas per year, accounting for about 58% of
total annual energy consumption.
According to Natural Resources Canada, space heating accounts for about 63% of total annual
household energy consumption. (Residential Electricity and Natural Gas Plans & Options, 2014)
2.3 Common Causes of Costly Residential Energy Bills
Older homes often have poor or aged insulation in the walls, ceilings, and floors. This allows heat
energy to radiate through the walls and outdoors. These houses also generally have single pane
windows, worn or no weather stripping, and various areas of concern which consequently lead to
the loss of significant quantities of heat, significantly increasing the amount of time that a furnace
or electric heater has to run during cold winter months.
Taking the time to remedy the issues described above—as well as adopting some good household
habits—can save you a ton of money on your energy bills.
3.0 General Details of the Audit
The building uses natural gas distributed by Enbridge Gas Inc for domestic hot water and heating.
Electricity is supplied by Toronto Hydro through standard supply service, which is used for
common area lighting, air conditioning and other electricity appliances such as freezer,

7. 6
refrigerator, washing machine and pedestal fans, etc. It should be noted in particular that the
reading number on the bills could be inconsistent with the real consumption, due to the fact that
the meter numbers for typical months are estimated and are corrected in the next monthly checking
time.
Weather data is represented in order to analyze energy use against monthly mean temperatures for
specific billing periods. To well estimated energy consumption for cooling and heating, a balance
temperature is set. The balance temperature is the outside temperature, where for temperatures
higher than it, cooling is required in the building, and at temperatures lower than it, the building
requires heating. Environment Canada uses the traditional 18℃ balance temperature (change-point
temperature) in order to compute monthly Heating and Cooling Degree Days. In this project, the
balance point is set at the outdoor temperature of 19℃.
Energy bills were collected for the past 2 years and analysed. All the data from the utility bills
could be found in the Appendix C.
4.0 Energy Cost & Consumption
The information obtained from the utility bills analyses of the building assists in identifying areas
of significant utility cost savings. Detailed summaries of energy usage at the facility are outlined
below. The analysis includes graphical representation of energy use relating to patterns and
anomalies observed in the monthly utility trends. Based on the available billing data, the graph
below details the split in annual utility costs of $6925.28 for electricity, gas and water for the
period during March, 2017 to February, 2019.
Figure 2 Utility Cost Distribution
Electricity represents 60% of total energy costs while natural gas represents 40% as detailed in
the graph and table below.
$1779.95
$2706.86
$2438.47
Utility Cost Distribution for the Past 2 Years
($)
Gas
Electricity
Water

8. 7
Figure 3 Energy Costs in two surveyed years
Energy Cost Rates:
• Natural Gas-Varied by month, $0.09-0.12 per m3
• Electricity- Varied by time, $0.132 @ on-peak, $0.094 @ mid-peak, $0.065 @off-peak
Also, the bar chart below indicates the comparison of energy costs by typical month.
Figure 4 Monthly Energy Costs
4.1 Green House Gas (GHG) Emission Effect
By calculating the two-year total consumption of energy, the result shows that during two
consecutive years, the usage of 1780 m3
natural gas emits approximately 1731 kg of eCO2 to
the atmosphere, while 701.55 kg of eCO2 was let out due to the consumption of 16703 kWh
$1779.95
40%
$2706.86
60%
Two-years Energy Costs ($)
Gas
Electricity
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
MonthlyEnergyCosts($)
Typical Monthly Energy Costs ( Fixed Charges
Excluded)
Elect
Nat Gas

9. 8
electricity. During the two-year period, nearly 70% of the GHG emission was resulted by the
burning natural gas.
Figure 5 GHG Emissions Impact
*GHG Emissions Factors: 1.9kg eCO2/m3
for natural gas, 0.042kg eCO2/kWh for electricity
4.2 Gas Use Analysis
Figure 6 Estimated Monthly Gas Use per Day
1731.014
71%
701.548974
29%
GHG Impact (kg eCO2)
Nat Gas
Elect
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Feb,2019
Jan,2019
Dec,2018
Nov,2018
Oct,2018
Sep,2018
Aug,2018
July,2018
June,2018
May,2018
April,2018
Mar,2018
Feb,2018
Jan,2018
Dec,2017
Nov,2017
Oct,2017
Sep,2017
Aug,2017
July,2017
June,2017
May,2017
April,2017
Mar,2017
m3/day
Estimated Monthly Gas Use (m3/day)

10. 9
Figure 7 Natural Gas Use Trend with Temperature
Figure 8 indicates the estimated daily use of each month in two years. During the period,
totally 4561 m3
natural gas was used, which charged for about $1780. The average charges
between March 2017 and February 2019 was $0.4/m3
. All the graphs indicate gas consumption
increasing in the cooler weather, and consumption decreasing at the end of winter. Given that
the natural gas is mainly used for furnace (space heating) and boiler (domestic water heating),
this trend could likely be due to the more severe weather during the winter when the furnace
was operated for more time. The Heating days (when outdoor temperature lower than 19℃)
could be determined as the period from October to May in next year.
Figure 8 Monthly Charges for Gas
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
16.00
18.00
-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25
MonthlyNaturalGasUse,m3/day
Monthly Average Outdoor Aire Temperature, ℃
Monthly Natural Gas Use vs. Outdoor Air Temperature
(March 16, 2017- March 14, 2019)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Feb,2019
Jan,2019
Dec,2018
Nov,2018
Oct,2018
Sep,2018
Aug,2018
July,2018
June,2018
May,2018
April,2018
Mar,2018
Feb,2018
Jan,2018
Dec,2017
Nov,2017
Oct,2017
Sep,2017
Aug,2017
July,2017
June,2017
May,2017
April,2017
Mar,2017
Charge($)
Monthly Charge
Gas Supply Charge Delivery Charge Transportation Cost Adjustment

11. 10
Despite the gas supply charges, the costs for gas also includes delivery fee ($0.1-0.13 per m3
),
Transportation fee ($0.04-0.05 per m3
) and cost adjustment fee.
4.3 Electricity Use Analysis
Figure 9 (Bradford Power, 2019)
Figure 10 Estimated Monthly Electricity Use
Figure 10 details the estimated daily use of each month in two years. The house had an
electricity consumption of approximately 16704 kWh for 2 years. Electricity consumption is
relatively constant during the year and is not highly dependent on the weather. From April
2017 to September 2018, the daily electricity usage keeps floating around 14 kWh – 28 kWh.
It shows a massive rise in late 2018, and the highest could be located in the month of December
2018. It could be due to the increase in the number of occupants in October 2018, when the
needs for Domestic Heated Water (DHW) are increased, and more plug-in electrical
appliances and portable charging heaters were brought in by the tenants.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Feb,2019
Jan,2019
Dec,2018
Nov,2018
Oct,2018
Sep,2018
Aug,2018
July,2018
June,2018
May,2018
April,2018
Mar,2018
Feb,2018
Jan,2018
Dec,2017
Nov,2017
Oct,2017
Sep,2017
Aug,2017
July,2017
June,2017
May,2017
April,2017
Mar,2017
kWh/day
Estimated Monthly Electricity Use per Day (kWh/day)

12. 11
Figure 11 Natural Gas Use Trend with Temperature
As shown in Figure 11, an increasing trend of monthly electricity use could be found when
the outdoor temperature rises above 19ºC. Considering the balance outdoor temperature as
19℃, months of June, July, August and September, in the surveyed years could be considered
as Cooling Days when the air conditioner starts running. The electricity daily consumption
and operating days are calculated and estimated through the difference of electricity use
between the baseline consumption and the consumption on the change-point.
Specifically, most residential and small business customers are charged using time-of-use
rates for electricity, which vary according to demand. When demand is lower, most of the
power used comes from sources like nuclear generators and large hydroelectric stations, which
are designed to run all the time. This is called baseload power. If all of the baseload power is
used, the province turns to other sources like natural gas-fired generation, which typically
costs more than baseload. Time-of-use rates follow a similar pattern: as the demand for
electricity rises, the price increases, and as it decreases, so does the price.
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00
40.00
45.00
-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25
kWh/day
Monthly Average Outdoor Air Temperature, ℃
Monthly Elevtricity Use per Day vs. Outdoor Air
Temperature
Figure 12 Ontario Residential “Time-of-Use” Electricity Charges (May 2017)

13. 12
Figure 13 Monthly Use Comparison by Time-of-use
Figure 14 Electricity Use Breakdown by Time-of-use
While most of the consumption concentrate in off-peak period (68%), the on-peak and mid-
peak electricity use are equal i.e. 16% of the whole usage. On the other hand, since off-peak
use charges at the lowest rate and on-peak use charges at the highest, the proportion of off-
peak charge is 55% among the total charges, while the on-peak charge having a percentage of
27% of the whole charge.
0.00
200.00
400.00
600.00
800.00
1000.00
1200.00
1400.00
Feb14-Mar14
Jan16-Feb13
Dec13-Jan15
Nov15-Dec12
Oct13-Nov14
Sep15-Oct12
Aug14-Sep14
Jul14-Aug13
Jun13-Jul13
May15-Jun12
Apr12-May14
Mar15-Apr11
Feb14-Mar14
Jan16-Feb13
Dec13-Jan15
Nov15-Dec12
Oct13-Nov14
Sep15-Oct12
Aug14-Sep14
Jul14-Aug13
Jun13-Jul13
May15-Jun12
Apr12-May14
Mar15-Apr11
ElectricityConsumption(kWh)
Monthly Use Comparison by Time-of-use
On-peak Usage Mid-peak Usage Off-peak Usage
2697.36 kWh
16%
2632.004 kWh
16%
11374.179
68%
Consumption Breakdown by Time-of-use (kWh)
On-peak Usage
Mid-peak Usage
Off-peak Usage

14. 13
Figure 15 Electricity Charge Breakdown by Time-of-use
Figure 16 Electricity Monthly Charges
Despite the electricity supply charges, the costs for gas also includes delivery and regulatory
charges.
4.4 Benchmarking Analysis
Benchmarking is an effective method of comparing the owner’s house against the “average
home” for a particular climate and geographic zone. It analyzes and reports on a facilities
energy performance and focuses on a comparative analysis of energy use to valuate the
371.146948
27%
257.89931
18%
762.417045
55%
Cost Breakdown by Time-of-use ($)
On-peak Charge
Mid-peak Charge
Off-peak Charge
0.00
20.00
40.00
60.00
80.00
100.00
120.00
140.00
160.00
180.00
200.00
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Cost/month($)
Electricity Monthly Charges
Eletriciy Charge Delivery Regulatory

15. 14
potential for improvement. The house was benchmarked using data from Building Energy
Analysis.
Figure 17 Comparison of Annual Energy Cost by Unit Area Index
*Orange line represents the house currently audited (House 49).
Figure 18 Comparison of Annual Energy Cost by Usual Occupant Index
*Orange line represents the house currently audited (House 49).
In more universal terms, the total consumption data of 49 different houses were compared by
unit area and occupant. To facilitate the calculations and comparison, a fixed rate for
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49
$/m2
House Number
Annual Energy Cost by Unit Area
Annual Energy
Cost
Average
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49
$/person
House Number
Annual Energy Cost by Usual Occupant
Energy Cost per
Occupant
Average

16. 15
electricity at $0.15/kWh is adopted, in place of the time-of-use rates. Also, the cost for natural
gas is $0.3/m3
. The average annual energy cost by unit area among the houses group is
$1964/m2
, less than the cost of target house ($2148/m2
), and the average annual energy cost
by usual occupant is $545/person, greater than the cost of target house ($358/person).
4.5 Estimated Annual Energy Cost Breakdown
The Annual energy end-use breakdown for the utility has been performed using numerous
calculations, equipment specifications, meter records and estimated operating time. Table 1
outlines the approximate annual energy consumption associated with the primary energy
consumers in the house. The detailed information and data could be found in the Appendix A.
End-use Consumption Rate Charge ($)
Furnace Gas 1910.5m3
@ $0.3 573.15
DHW Gas 205.5m3
@ $0.3 61.65
Refrigerator Elec 1138.8kWh @ $0.15 170.82
Freezer Elec 1068.72kWh @ $0.15 160.31
Washing Machine
Elec
15.12kWh @ $0.15 2.27
Fan Elec 15.36kWh @ $0.15 2.30
A/C Elec 1034.82kWh @ $0.15 155.22
Other Elec 6816.18kWh @ $0.15 1022.43
Table 1 Estimated Annual Energy Cost Breakdown
Figure 19 Estimated Annual Energy Cost Breakdown Graph
*Delivery charge, transportation charge, adjustment charge, regulatory charge and other fixed charges are
excluded.
Furnace Gas
$573.15
27%
DHW Gas
$61.65
3%
Refrig
$170.82
8%Freezer
$160.31
7%
A/C
Elec
$155.2
2
7%
Other Elec
$1,022.43
48%
Estimated Annual Energy Cost Breakdown*
Furnace Gas
DHW Gas
Refrig Elec
Freezer Elec
A/C Elec
Other Elec

17. 16
5.0 General Characteristics of the House
The house audited is classified as a single back split house which was constructed in 1978.
However, since then it has gone under multiple renovations and its ownership has been changed 9
times. The covered floor area of the house is 2066 ft2 with a basement accounting for a third of the
total covered floor area.
It contains 4 bedrooms with 3 being on the main level of the house and 1 being in the basement.
The current occupants who have been living in the house since the past 6 years are either working
professionals or student due to which the house is usually unoccupied during the usual business
hours of the day i.e. during the on-peak timings.
The house doesn’t have a backyard pool but features a garage with heating available during the
winter months for the pets. The house is West facing due to which it receives ample sunlight
usually after 3 pm (Refer Figure 33).
Figure 20 The house has one smart meter for measuring electricity consumption. (Photo by Asad
Ullah Malik)
5.1 Walls & Windows
The house has a combination of wooden and brick walls. The wooden walls are covered by white
clapper board cladding on the exterior. The white colour by itself is a good reflector with low
absorptance or transmittance properties. Although all the windows of the house were double-
Glazed but it didn’t have the low e-coating which causes significant loss of heat from the house
during the winters and causes the interior temperature of the house to rise during the winters.
Extruded polystyrene is recommended for basement/foundations walls due to the fact that fiber-

18. 17
glass insulations can be negatively affected by the possible exposure to moisture which will lead
to reduction in insulation capacity. (Owens Corning Canada LP, 2017)
5.2 Roofing
The house’s roof is covered by well- maintained brown roof shingles. The attic had soffit vents on
all 4 sides of the roof, a feature which is not found in townhouses normally. Following are the
benefits of these ducts:
• These ducts help to avoid aggregation of harmful or hot gases in the attic
• Avoid dampness in the attic by maintaining airflow which prevents growth of mould
• To enhance ventilation in the attic to fight condensation thereby maintaining the proper
moisture content of the load bearing or non-load bearing elements.
Soffit vents on the East side of the roof. Soffit vents on the South side of the roof.
Figure 21 Fiber glass insulation used in the basement walls (Photo by Asad Ullah Malik)

19. 18
Soffit vents on the North side of the roof. Soffit vents on the West side of the roof.
However, we couldn’t get access to the interior of the attic to inspect the type of insulation installed
in the roof. If our work is expanded in future or if the owner requests another Energy Audit after
few years, we recommend that the attic’s performance to be analysed in more detail.
5.3 Domestic Air conditioning Unit
The air conditioning unit installed at the house has a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER)
of 13.0. By upgrading from SEER 9 to SEER 13, the power consumption is reduced by 30%.
(Wikipedia Contributors, 2019). Following expression shows the relationship between SEER
value and cooling output:
𝑆𝐸𝐸𝑅 =
𝐶𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝐵𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡 (𝐵𝑇𝑈)
𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑡 − ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠
Our focus should be reducing the input of the system i.e. Energy consumed in watts. For example,
an air-conditioner with a higher SEER value would generate the same cooling output but with less
energy reducing electricity bills due to their inverse relation.
The electricity consumption for the central air conditioning system could not be metered directly.
Nevertheless, acknowledging the Cooling Degree Days defined by the outdoor temperature, the
estimated energy consumption and air conditioner operating times could be reasonably deduced
and calculated (detailed in Appendix A.2). The air conditioning unit consumes 1034.82 kWh in a
year, accounting for 10.3% of total annual electricity consumption.
5.4 Domestic Furnace
The furnace’s date of manufacturing couldn’t be found. The homeowner also didn’t have any spec
sheet or information regarding the efficiency or the energy rating of the Furnace. However, as per
analysis we were able to conclude that the furnace was approximately annually consuming 1782.9
m3 i.e. 82.6% of the total natural gas used by the house. (refer to Appendix A.3 for mathematical
calculations)
Figure 22 Soffit vents on the edges of the roof. (Photos by Asad Ullah Malik)

20. 19
5.5 Domestic Boiler
A water heater for a family of 4 will consume roughly
415 kWh per month, assuming 118 hours of use. In
comparison, a 14-Watt CFL bulb will consume 10
kWh in one month if left on 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. So, while remembering to turn the lights off
will save you a bit of money, taking a slightly shorter
shower will save you much more money. (Residential
Electricity and Natural Gas Plans & Options, 2014)
We also recommend buying a boiler with an Energy
Star rating in the future in a scenario when the current
rented boiler is returned.
Only 2 appliances run on Natural Gas which are
furnace and water heater. During the peak summer
months, the furnace is not operational as no space
heating is required during that period. Therefore, we
can deduce from the utility bill data that the
consumption of Natural gas during the peak summer
months is solely for water heating purposes i.e.
consumed by the domestic boiler.
This trend of natural gas consumption can be averaged over 12 months as the boiler efficiency is
not hugely affected by the variation in inlet water temperature during the winters. Using this
information, we deduced that the boiler is using approximately 383 m3 of natural gas annually
which accounts for 17.4% of total natural gas consumption.
5.6 Lighting Systems
Majority of the lights in the house are incandescent lights attached to floor lamps as no lights are
fixed on the ceiling. We recommend that as soon as the incandescent lights burn out or are no
longer functional, those should be replaced by LED lights. LED lights 5 to 6 times more energy
efficient then their Incandescent counter parts. (McBride, 2019)
Figure 23 Specifications tag on the boiler
mentioning the BTUH i.e. BTU consumed
in one operational hour (Photo by Asad
Ullah Malik)

21. 20
5.7 Plumbing Fixtures
The toilet flush features a double flush button. Which
allows the occupants to control the amount of water eat
flush uses. The larger lever is to flush out around 6 to 9
liters of water, whereas the smaller lever is to flush out
around 3 to 4.5 liters of water. Clearly, the larger one is
to flush solid waste and the smaller one is to flush liquid
waste (TNN, 2018). We recommend not to use the
larger button more often especially for the liquid human
excretions.
5.8 Electrical Appliances
Overall the alliances in the house are very old and are not working on the rated efficiency.
Name of Appliances Quantity
Operational
hours/day
Stove 2 2
Refrigerator 2 24
Toaster 2 0.5
Freezer 1 24
Dryer 1 0.25
Washing Machine 1 1
Pedestal Fans 2 5
Table 2 Total number of Electrical Appliances in the house
6.0 Recommendations
Based on the analysis and discussions above, couples of practical measures to save the energy
costs and improve the energy efficiency are recommended for the homeowner.
6.1 Electricity Charges Saving
As the Electricity Charges have the percentage of 60% among the total energy costs, to manage
electricity use properly could reduce the energy costs to a certain extent.
• Managing costs with time-of-use rates.
As shown in Figure 9, Shifting electricity usage to times when electricity is cheaper is one
way to lower your electricity costs. It costs less for electricity by using large load appliances
on the weekend than during the week. Also, it’s cheaper during evening than in the
morning. In summer weekdays (May 1- October 31), electricity use peaks during the hottest
part of the afternoon, when air conditioners are running on high. On-peak hours are mid-
day. In this case, electrical utilities are recommended to run early in the day and overnight.
Figure 24 The picture shows the dual flush
button installed on the toilet seat in all the
toilets of the surveyed house. (Source:
TNN,2018)

22. 21
On the other hand, in winter weekdays (November 1- April 30), less daylight means
electricity use peaks twice: once in the morning when people wake up and turn on
their lights and appliances, then again when people get home from work. Plug in the
appliances during the evening will cost less than use them during mid-day.
• Lighting
Energy for lighting accounts for about 10% of your electric bill. Examine the light bulbs
in the house and consider replacing inefficient bulbs with a more efficient choice, such as
energy-saving incandescent, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), or light-emitting diodes
(LEDs). When shopping for bulbs, consider the brightness of the bulbs you want and look
for lumens and the Lighting Facts label. Besides, electric utility may offer rebates or other
incentives for purchasing energy-efficient lamps. Furthermore, ways to use controls such
as sensors, dimmers, or timers to reduce lighting use are recommended.
• Monitoring the consumptions smartly
Since, the house has a smart meter (refer to Figure 22) already installed for the electricity
consumption, we recommend that the homeowner, makes an account online on the Toronto
Hydro Website by using the latest electricity bill and start monitoring the electricity
consumptions on hourly basis few times a month to have a better understanding of
electricity consumption for those particular electrical appliances running int that time
interval.
6.2 Natural Gas Charges Saving
Furnace annually consumes 82.6% of the total natural gas used by the house audited. Since, the
house is very old, the high cost of space heating could be due to the reduction in efficiency of the
furnace over the years. It is advised to check the filters of the forced-air furnace and replace them
as needed. Generally, the components should be changed about once every month or two,
especially during periods of high usage. Have a professional check and clean the equipment once
a year. Furthermore, given that the unit is far more than 15 years old, it should be taken into the
consideration to replace the whole system with one of the newer, energy-efficient units. A new
unit would greatly reduce energy consumption, especially if the existing equipment is in poor
condition.
6.3 Further Investigative Steps
In addition to renewing and having a better operating plan for the equipment and systems in the
house, it is essential to have a further inspection of the house to avoid energy leakage that affects
the heating and cooling load, and identify which areas are most appropriate to improve based on
efficiency goals. Knowing where is the energy being lost through a professional examination and
well weatherizing the house help ensuring that your property is adequately heated and cooled.
• Locate and Seal Air Leaks
Air leaks is a major contributor to energy waste in a home, where heat transfers between
inside the building and outside, typically through the roof, walls, windows and floor. Make

23. 22
a list of obvious air leaks (drafts). The potential energy savings from reducing drafts in a
home may range from 10% to 20% per year (Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable
Energy, 2017), and the home is generally much more comfortable afterward. Future
auditing involves checking for indoor air leaks, for example gaps at the baseboard or edge
of the flooring and at the edges of the ceiling and the walls. In addition to that inspect for
leaks on the exterior of your house, in particular areas where two different building
materials meet. Holes or penetrations for faucets, pipes, electric outlets, and wiring should
be plugged and caulked. Any cracks and holes in the mortar, foundation, and siding which
may appear in the future should be fixed. In our current audit we didn’t find any leaks
around the windows and the doors though these both are considered as holes in the building
and are often the weakest portion as far as the building insulation is concerned.
• Check Insulation
Heat loss through the ceiling and walls in the houses could be very large if the insulation
levels are less than the recommended minimum. Given today’s energy prices and its
growing trends, the level of insulation might be inadequate, especially the house currently
audited was built in earlier year. The greater the difference between the indoor and the
outdoor temperatures, the more heat will leak to ambient air in winter, and also more heat
will be absorbed from outside the house in summer, which would increase energy
consumption to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Therefore, making sure the
insulation is effectively preventing the unnecessary heat transfer between indoor and
outdoor helps homeowner to pay less on bills. Suggested insulation material would be with
proper thickness and type to satisfy high R-Value and insulating effectiveness.

24. 23
References
[1]. Residential Electricity and Natural Gas Plans & Options. (2014). Retrieved from
EnergyRates.ca website: https://energyrates.ca/residential-electricity-natural-gas/
[2]. Sultan. (2019). 59 Sultan Pool Dr. Retrieved July 3, 2019, from 59 Sultan Pool Dr
website:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/59+Sultan+Pool+Dr,+Etobicoke,+ON+M9V+4H3/
@43.7383951,79.5930725,39a,48.5y,34.98t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x882b3af76a0
52907:0xe8eeeda31a87c9e0!8m2!3d43.738626!4d-79.5929353
[3]. Mather, D. (2019). Topic 2 - Aspects of Energy Auditing [PDF]. Waterloo.
[4]. Bradford Power. (2019, April 30). Electricity Rates. Retrieved July 4, 2019, from
Brantford Power website: http://brantfordpower.com/my-home/rates-faq/electricity-rates-
include-tou/
[5]. Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, June 18). Seasonal energy efficiency ratio. Retrieved
July 4, 2019, from Wikipedia website:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_energy_efficiency_ratio
[6]. “Daily Data Report for June 2019 - Climate - Environment and Climate Change
Canada,” 2019 from website:
http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?StationID=51459&timefram
e=2&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2019&Day=5&Year=2019&Month=6#
[7]. McBride, B. (2019, March 28). Comparing LED vs CFL vs Incandescent Light Bulbs.
Retrieved from Viribright® LED Light Bulbs website:
https://www.viribright.com/lumen-output-comparing-led-vs-cfl-vs-incandescent-wattage/
[8]. Government of Canada. (2016). Water heaters | Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved
July 7, 2019, from Nrcan.gc.ca website:
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/products/categories/water-heaters/13735
[9]. TNN. (2018, June 11). Here’s why toilet flush has one large and one small button.
Retrieved July 6, 2019, from The Times of India website:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/photo-stories/heres-why-
toilet-flush-has-one-large-and-one-small-button/photostory/64540715.cms
[10]. Owens Corning Canada LP. (2017). Insulation Application: Basements. Retrieved July
6, 2019, from Owenscorning.ca website:
http://insulation.owenscorning.ca/builders/applications/foundation-walls.aspx
[11]. Lumens and the Lighting Facts Label. (2012). Retrieved July 7, 2019, from Energy.gov
website: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-
save-you-money/lumens-and-lighting-facts
[12]. Heating Degree Day (HDD) Definition. (2019). Retrieved July 7, 2019, from
Investopedia website: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/heatingdegreeday.asp

25. 24
[13]. Managing costs with time-of-use rates | Ontario Energy Board. (2012). Retrieved from
www.oeb.ca. website: https://www.oeb.ca/rates-and-your-bill/electricity-rates/managing-
costs-time-use-rates.
[14]. Mather, D. (2019). Topic 3 – Energy Benchmarking [PDF]. Waterloo.
[15]. Building Energy Analysis (2019). House Benchmarking Data Set - 2019 05 22[Xlsx
File]. Waterloo.
[16]. Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. (2012). Lumens and the Lighting
Facts Label. Retrieved July 7, 2019, from Energy.gov website:
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-
money/lumens-and-lighting-facts.

26. 25
Appendix

27. 26
Appendix A
A.1 Annual Electricity Consumption for Various Household Appliances
Annual Total Electricity Consumption for the whole house (March, 2018 – February, 2019) ≈
10089 kWh
Pedestal Fan Quantity = 1 Upright Freezer Quantity = 1
Measurement
Period
1 hour Measurement Period 1 hour
Measured
Consumption
0.016 kWh Measured Consumption 0.122 kWh
Average kWh/day
0.128 kWh/day
(based on 8 hours of
operation per day)
Average kWh/day
2.928kWh/day
(based on 24
hours of operation
per day)
Estimated Annual
kWh
15.36 kWh (assuming
the fan is only used in
the 4 summer
months)
Estimated Annual kWh
1068.72 kWh
(assuming the
freezer is
operational 365
days of the year)
% of Annual
Electricity
0.152 % % of Annual Electricity 10.59%
Washing
Machine
Quantity = 1 Refrigerator Quantity = 1
Measurement
Period
1 running cycle Measurement Period 1 hour
Measured
Consumption
0.105 kWh Measured Consumption 0.13 kWh
Average
kWh/week
0.315 kWh/week
(assuming the
occupants wash the
clothes 3 times a
week)
Average kWh/day 3.12 kWh
Average
kWh/month
1.26 kWh/month Estimated Annual kWh
1138.8 kWh
(assuming the
refrigerator is
operational 365
days of the year)
Estimated Annual
kWh
15.12 kWh % of Annual Electricity 11.29%
% of Annual
Electricity
0.15 %

28. 27
A.2 Annual Air Conditioner Electricity Consumption
Monthly Electricity Use Baseline: 14.97 kWh/day
Cooling Degree Days Balance Temperature: 19℃
Central Air Conditioner Estimated Electricity Daily Use ≈ Monthly Electricity Use – Monthly
Electricity Use Baseline
Hence, Total Monthly A/C Consumption would be:
Measure
Period
Monthly Daily
Use (kWh/day)
Days of
use
Estimated A/C Elec
Use (kWh/day)
Total Monthly A/C
Use (kWh)
Sep, 2018 19.47 30 5.28 158.30
Aug, 2018 28.45 31 14.26 442.11
July, 2018 20.39 31 6.20 192.11
June, 2018 22.27 30 8.08 242.30
Annual Air Conditioner Electricity Consumption= 158.3 + 442.11 + 192.11 + 242.3 =
1034.82 kWh,
10.3% of Total Annual Electricity Consumption.
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00
40.00
45.00
-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25
kWh/day
Monthly Average Outdoor Air Temperature, ℃
Monthly Elevtricity Use per Day vs. Outdoor Air
Temperature

29. 28
A.3 Annual Natural Gas Consumption for Furnace & Boiler
Burner “Rated Input” 36000
𝑏𝑡𝑢
ℎ𝑟
1𝑚3
35,260 𝑏𝑡𝑢
= 1.021
𝑚3
ℎ𝑟
Annual Natural Gas for boiler (2018) ≈ 383 m3 (Value taken from the trends analyzed)
Estimated Annual Hours of Operation ≈
383 𝑚3
1.021 𝑚3
ℎ𝑟⁄
≈ 375.12 ℎ𝑟
Total Annual Natural Gas consumption for the whole house (2018) ≈ 2158 m3
Annual Furnace Natural Gas (2018) ≈ 2158 − 375.12 ≈ 𝟏𝟕𝟖𝟐. 𝟗 𝐦 𝟑
Conclusion: Furnace annually consumes 82.6% of the total natural gas used by the house audited.
Where as the boiler consumes the remaining i.e. 17.38%.
Figure 26 Graphical Explanation of how Furnace Natural Gas Consumption (ĠF) fluctuate
with outdoor temperature (To) and how Boiler Natural Gas Consumption (ĠW) remains
unaffected by the increase of outdoor temperature (To). (Image source: Mather, D. 2019)
Figure 25 Figure illustrates that only 2 appliances consume Natural Gas in a residential house. It
shows that how the Total Natural Gas Consumption (ĠT) varies with Outdoor Temperature (To).
(Image source: Mather, D. 2019)

30. 29
Appendix B
B.1 Aerial Views of the Audited house
Figure 27 Top View of the audited house showing the orientation WRT the sun (Sultan, 2019)
Figure 28 A 3D view of the house. (Sultan, 2019)

31. 30
B.2 Pictures of External Air Conditioning Unit
Figure 30 External Air Conditioning Unit (Photo by Asad Ullah Malik)
Figure 29 SEER value of the air-conditioning
unit shown on the energy rating tag (Photo by
Asad Ullah Malik)

32. 31
B.3 Pictures of Water Heater and Dryer
Figure 32 Domestic Rented Boiler (Photo by Asad
Ullah Malik)
Figure 31 Rated Consumption of the Clothes' Dryer (Photo by Asad Ullah
Malik)

33. 32
Appendix C
C.1 Enbridge Gas Bills Data
Year Bills Period
Usage Gas Supply Charge Delivery Charge Transportation Cost Adjustment Total Charge
m3 $ $/m3
$ $/m3 $ $/m3 $ $/m3 $
2019
Feb 14 - Mar 14 337.00 41.91 0.12 33.78 0.10 14.61 0.04 5.49 0.02 115.79
Jan 16 - Feb 13 371.00 46.14 0.12 37.07 0.10 16.08 0.04 6.04 0.02 125.33
2018
Dec 13 - Jan 15 346.00 38.71 0.11 34.88 0.10 16.9 0.05 4.54 0.01 114.22
Nov 15 - Dec 12 252.00 25.33 0.10 25.89 0.10 12.45 0.05 2.56 0.01 86.23
Oct 13 - Nov 14 222.00 22.41 0.10 24.65 0.11 10.97 0.05 2.27 0.01 80.3
Sep 15 - Oct 12 54.00 5.24 0.10 7.23 0.13 2.62 0.05 0.22 0.00 35.31
Aug 14 - Sep 14 87.00 8.22 0.09 12.19 0.14 4.13 0.05 0.08 0.00 50.24
Jul 14 - Aug 13 51.00 4.82 0.09 7.22 0.14 2.42 0.05 0.05 0.00 34.41
Jun 13 - Jul 13 82.00 7.75 0.09 11.51 0.14 3.9 0.05 0.07 0.00 43.09
May 15 - Jun 12 70.00 6.62 0.09 9.85 0.14 3.33 0.05 0.07 0.00 39.72
Apr 12 - May 14 175.00 16.62 0.09 24.04 0.14 8.36 0.05 0.16 0.00 68.86
Mar 15 - Apr 11 164.00 16.13 0.10 22.66 0.14 8.47 0.05 0.34 0.00 75.39
Feb 14 - Mar 14 289.00 29.27 0.10 39.44 0.14 15.76 0.05 1.19 0.00 105.66
Jan 16 - Feb 13 366.00 37.05 0.10 49.59 0.14 19.95 0.05 1.51 0.00 128.1
2017
Dec 13 - Jan 15 484.00 48.32 0.10 62.19 0.13 26.16 0.05 2.62 0.01 156.22
Nov 15 - Dec 12 206.00 20.23 0.10 26.09 0.13 11.06 0.05 1.32 0.01 76.48
Oct 13 - Nov 14 193.00 19.06 0.10 24.51 0.13 10.36 0.05 1.24 0.01 72.98
Sep 15 - Oct 12 43.00 4.74 0.11 5.72 0.13 2.32 0.05 0.2 0.00 32.49
Aug 14 - Sep 14 96.00 11.58 0.12 12.57 0.13 5.21 0.05 0.3 0.00 48.58
Jul 14 - Aug 13 81.00 9.77 0.12 10.67 0.13 4.39 0.05 0.25 0.00 44.17
Jun 13 - Jul 13 88.00 10.27 0.12 11.53 0.13 4.78 0.05 0.12 0.00 45.47
May 15 - Jun 12 75.00 8.53 0.11 9.86 0.13 4.07 0.05 0.36 0.00 41.25
Apr 12 - May 14 185.00 21.16 0.11 23.73 0.13 10.1 0.05 0.89 0.00 72
Mar 15 - Apr 11 244.00 27.98 0.11 30.95 0.13 13.14 0.05 1.65 0.01 87.66
Table 3 Gas Bills

34. 33
Year Bill Period
Monthly Daily Use
Outdoor Air
Temperature (Average)
m3 ℃
2019
Feb 14 - Mar 14 12.04 -4.2
Jan 16 - Feb 13 11.97 -6.7
2018
Dec 13 - Jan 15 11.16 -0.2
Nov 15 - Dec 12 8.40 1.5
Oct 13 - Nov 14 7.16 8.9
Sep 15 - Oct 12 1.80 19.2
Aug 14 - Sep 14 2.81 23.2
Jul 14 - Aug 13 1.65 23.4
Jun 13 - Jul 13 2.73 19.5
May 15 - Jun 12 2.26 17
Apr 12 - May 14 5.83 3.4
Mar 15 - Apr 11 5.29 0.1
Feb 14 - Mar 14 10.32 -1.8
Jan 16 - Feb 13 11.81 -5.6
2017
Dec 13 - Jan 15 15.61 -5.2
Nov 15 - Dec 12 6.87 3.7
Oct 13 - Nov 14 6.23 13.3
Sep 15 - Oct 12 1.43 18.8
Aug 14 - Sep 14 3.10 20.1
Jul 14 - Aug 13 2.61 21.8
Jun 13 - Jul 13 2.93 19.4
May 15 - Jun 12 2.42 12.6
Apr 12 - May 14 6.17 9.4
Mar 15 - Apr 11 7.87 -0.5
Table 4 Monthly Gas Use vs Outdoor Air Temperature

35. 34
C.2 Toronto Hydro Electricity Bills DataYear
Bill
Period
On-peak
Usage
Mid-peak
Usage
Off-peak
Usage
Total
Usage
Electricity
Charge
Deliv
ery
Regula
tory
Total
Charge
kWh kWh kWh kWh $ $ $ $
2019
Feb 14 -
Mar 14
162.18 137.96 715.86 1016.00 79.91 63.32 4.34 147.57
Jan 16 -
Feb 13
176.14 149.34 725.52 1051.00 84.45 63.2 4.49 152.14
2018
Dec 13 -
Jan 15
178.77 200.885 943.35 1323.00 103.79 72.39 5.64 181.82
Nov 15 -
Dec 12
171.98 147.95 731.08 1051.01 84.13 57.51 4.49 146.13
Oct 13 -
Nov 14
138.37 143.87 746.30 1028.54 80.23 64.66 4.45 149.34
Sep 15 -
Oct 12
90.22 102.4 391.38 584.00 46.98 44.66 2.59 94.23
Aug 14 -
Sep 14
140.24 147.87 593.89 882.00 71.01 59.94 3.85 134.8
Jul 14 -
Aug 13
115.76 130.63 385.61 632.00 52.62 48.15 2.80 103.57
Jun 13 -
Jul 13
95.65 103.53 468.82 668.00 61.91 50.03 4.08 116.02
May 15 -
Jun 12
69.13 105.79 311.08 486.00 46.75 41.92 3.11 91.78
Apr 12 -
May 14
70.16 68.34 416.50 555.00 42.75 50.96 2.48 96.19
Mar 15 -
Apr 11
79.54 62.87 321.59 464.00 37.37 45.14 2.13 84.64
Feb 14 -
Mar 14
85.80 55.85 352.35 494.00 39.54 47.04 2.26 88.84
Jan 16 -
Feb 13
90.73 56.72 326.55 474.00 38.60 43.19 2.15 83.94
2017
Dec 13 -
Jan 15
105.88 87.43 424.69 618.00 49.88 48.84 2.78 101.5
Nov 15 -
Dec 12
103.62 99.74 369.64 573.00 47.19 43.23 2.55 92.97
Oct 13 -
Nov 14
97.49 102.59 442.92 643.00 49.14 50.91 5.16 105.21
Sep 15 -
Oct 12
91.98 108.19 461.83 662.00 52.44 49.55 2.94 104.93
Aug 14 -
Sep 14
96.90 102.4 367.70 567.00 46.42 44.96 2.55 93.93
Jul 14 -
Aug 13
135.65 123.51 428.84 688.00 57.51 47.55 3.03 108.09
Jun 13 -
Jul 13
95.65 103.53 468.82 668.00 61.91 50.03 4.08 116.02
May 15 -
Jun 12
69.13 105.79 311.08 486.00 46.75 41.92 3.11 91.78
Apr 12 -
May 14
131.70 107.609 410.70 650.00 72.70 53.89 4.81 131.4
Mar 15 -
Apr 11
104.70 77.21 258.09 440.00 51.49 35.24 3.29 90.02
Table 5 Electricity Bills

36. 35
Year Billing Period
On-peak Charge Mid-peak Charge Off-peak Charge
$ $ $
2019
Feb 14 - Mar 14 21.41 12.96824 46.5309
Jan 16 - Feb 13 23.25 14.03796 47.1588
2018
Dec 13 - Jan 15 23.60 18.88319 61.31749
Nov 15 - Dec 12 22.70 13.9073 47.520005
Oct 13 - Nov 14 18.26 13.52378 48.5095
Sep 15 - Oct 12 11.91 9.6256 25.4397
Aug 14 - Sep 14 18.51 13.89978 38.60285
Jul 14 - Aug 13 15.28 12.27922 25.06465
Jun 13 - Jul 13 12.63 9.73182 30.4733
May 15 - Jun 12 9.13 9.94426 20.2202
Apr 12 - May 14 9.26 6.42396 27.0725
Mar 15 - Apr 11 10.50 5.90978 20.90335
Feb 14 - Mar 14 11.33 5.2499 22.90275
Jan 16 - Feb 13 11.98 5.33168 21.22575
2017
Dec 13 - Jan 15 13.98 8.21842 27.60485
Nov 15 - Dec 12 13.68 9.37556 24.0266
Oct 13 - Nov 14 12.87 9.64346 28.7898
Sep 15 - Oct 12 12.14 10.16986 30.01895
Aug 14 - Sep 14 12.79 9.6256 23.9005
Jul 14 - Aug 13 17.91 11.60994 27.8746
Jun 13 - Jul 13 14.92 11.61 35.38
May 15 - Jun 12 10.85 11.95 23.95
Apr 12 - May 14 23.43 13.79 35.48
Mar 15 - Apr 11 18.85 10.19 22.45
Table 6 Electricity Supply Charge by Time-of-use

37. 36
Year Billing Period
Monthly Daily Use
Outdoor Air
Temperature (Average)
kWh ℃
2019
Feb 14 - Mar 14 36.29 -4.2
Jan 16 - Feb 13 33.90 -6.7
2018
Dec 13 - Jan 15 42.68 -0.2
Nov 15 - Dec 12 35.03 1.5
Oct 13 - Nov 14 33.18 8.9
Sep 15 - Oct 12 19.47 19.2
Aug 14 - Sep 14 28.45 23.2
Jul 14 - Aug 13 20.39 23.4
Jun 13 - Jul 13 22.27 19.5
May 15 - Jun 12 15.68 17
Apr 12 - May 14 18.50 3.4
Mar 15 - Apr 11 14.97 0.1
Feb 14 - Mar 14 17.64 -1.8
Jan 16 - Feb 13 15.29 -5.6
2017
Dec 13 - Jan 15 19.94 -5.2
Nov 15 - Dec 12 19.10 3.7
Oct 13 - Nov 14 20.74 13.3
Sep 15 - Oct 12 22.07 18.8
Aug 14 - Sep 14 18.29 20.1
Jul 14 - Aug 13 22.19 21.8
Jun 13 - Jul 13 22.27 19.4
May 15 - Jun 12 15.68 12.6
Apr 12 - May 14 21.67 9.4
Mar 15 - Apr 11 14.19 -0.5
Table 7 Monthly Gas Consumption vs Outdoor Air Temperature

38. 37
C.3 Toronto Water Utility Bills Data
Water
Consumption
Charge
m3 $
Oct 2018-Feb 2019 102.50 410.37
Jun 2018-Oct 2018 111.00 444.41
Mar 2018-Jun 2018 77.50 310.28
Oct 2017-Mar 2018 123.00 480.29
Jun 2017-Oct 2017 105.50 402.28
Mar 2017-Jun 2017 102.50 390.84
Table 8 Water Bills