Straight answers before you spend.

After booking, you receive an invitation link to a guided intake app. It asks factual questions about your current systems, bills, energy use, outage experience, goals and any quotes you have. For most homes it takes about 10–15 minutes. “Not sure” is accepted, photos are optional and a partly completed intake is still useful.

The secure portal saves your answers as you go. When you're ready, submit the intake for review; there is nothing to download or email. I review it before we meet, then we confirm the important details together on the call. The intake shortens fact-gathering; it is not a test and it does not replace the consultation.

Where public rebates, loans or financing could materially change the decision, the report includes the current official programs that may be relevant, who administers them and the major eligibility conditions to confirm.

Programs change, funding can close and eligibility is property-specific. The report states its source and “as of” date, but it does not promise approval or assume that an incentive will be available when work begins.

Installers are genuinely good at what they fit — but when the advice and the sale come from the same place, the advice quietly bends toward the sale. Each one is naturally inclined to recommend the product they carry, sized the way that suits them, on the timeline that suits them.

An independent consultant has nothing to sell you, so the recommendation can simply be whatever is right for your home. You still hire installers to do the work — you just go in knowing exactly what you need and what to ask.

Because these are expensive, long-lived decisions that are hard and costly to undo. Getting clear on your goals, the right sizing and the right sequence before you sign is where independent advice saves the most money and avoids the most regret — it's far cheaper to change a plan on paper than to redo installed work.

I speak from experience: I worked through solar quotes and a backup-power setup for my own home largely on my own, and the guidance I needed simply wasn't available. That's exactly the gap this service fills.

Yes — it's one of the most common reasons homeowners get in touch. Proposals for the same job often differ in products, sizing, pricing, payment terms, deposits and timelines, which makes them genuinely hard to compare.

I'll put comparable items side by side, show where the proposals use different assumptions, flag unclear sizing claims or missing scope, and give you a prioritized list of questions to take back to each contractor before you sign — without pushing you toward any one vendor.

That's a core reason for the work. I help identify the loads, goals and assumptions that should drive the design, compare what proposals claim and show where professional verification is still needed.

Final load calculations, equipment sizing, electrical design, safety and code decisions remain with the appropriate licensed professionals. You go into that conversation with a clearer brief and better questions.

No to both. I don't sell equipment, carry a brand, or earn commissions or referral fees from installers or manufacturers — and I don't install anything myself. That independence is the entire point of the service: there's no product I need to steer you toward, so the advice can just be right for your home.

An independent home energy consultant helps you make good decisions about your home's energy — solar, batteries, backup power, generators, heat pumps, geothermal and how you're billed for electricity. The role is advice and planning, not installation.

In practice that means understanding your goals and your home, laying out the realistic options and trade-offs in plain language, reviewing any quotes you've received, and giving you a clear recommendation and sensible sequence to act on.

Ontario is the focus. Onsite meetings are available in Durham Region and Northumberland County. Elsewhere in Ontario, consultations can be completed remotely by FaceTime or video meeting if you are comfortable sharing documents, photos and a guided video walk-through. Local rate structures, utility rules, climate and the program landscape remain part of the review.

No, and you should be cautious of anyone who does. Real-world savings and outcomes depend on your home, how you use energy, the equipment you choose, contractor pricing, utility rules and program eligibility — all of which vary and can change over time. I give you honest estimates and ranges with the reasoning behind them, not guarantees.

Sometimes, and they serve different purposes. An EnerGuide home evaluation is a separate, standardized assessment carried out by a registered Energy Advisor, and it may be required for certain financing or incentive programs. My consulting is independent advice and planning — it helps you decide what to do and in what order, but it doesn't replace a formal evaluation where one is required.

Because program rules change, always confirm current requirements directly with the relevant program before assuming an evaluation is or isn't needed. I can help you understand where an evaluation fits into your overall plan.