Thinking about making your home more energy efficient, but not sure where to start? You’re not alone—and that’s where your Energy Coach comes in.
The Better Homes Peterborough program offers support every step of the way, and at the heart of that support is Clara Blakelock, our local Energy Coach. Clara is here to answer your questions, help you understand your retrofit options, and guide you through the process of accessing loans, incentives, and trusted advice—whether you’re just starting out or ready to take action.
Clara Blakelock (she/her) is the Home Energy Program Manager with GreenUP. She’s a Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) Registered Energy Advisor for homes, and she has completed energy audits on over 250 homes in the Peterborough region. She’s also a Certified Energy Auditor in training for commercial buildings. Before joining GreenUP in 2021, Clara worked with Green Communities Canada, leading national projects on green infrastructure and climate resilience.
With a Master’s degree in Engineering and Public Policy and an Advanced Certificate in Sustainable Energy Management, Clara brings deep knowledge and a passion for practical climate action. When she’s not advising on home upgrades, she’s likely sewing, cycling, swinging kettlebells, or chasing her young kids around Peterborough.
What is an Energy Coach?
An Energy Coach is your personal guide through the home retrofit process. Clara is here to help you:
- Understand your home’s energy performance
- Learn about upgrade options like insulation, heat pumps, and air sealing
- Navigate available rebate and incentive programs
- Prepare for your home energy assessment
She’s here to make the process easier and clearer, so you can take the next step with confidence.
Five Questions with Your Energy Coach, Clara Blakelock
What’s the most common question you get from homeowners considering a retrofit?
I very often hear from people who have heard about an incentive program that is being promoted, and they’re looking for trusted advice about what is available and how it might apply to their home. These programs can get complicated quickly, especially when there are multiple offerings that can be stacked together. Rather than interacting with a call centre, a lot of homeowners choose to call me to help them figure out their best options. As part of my job, I learn the details of all the different rebate and loan programs, and because I work for a trusted organization in the community, people know that they can expect accurate, unbiased advice by calling me.
Where should people start if they’ve never done anything like this before?
There is a lot to consider when you’re thinking about upgrading your home. What is most important? What should be done first? How will some upgrades impact others? How much is it going to cost, and how much is it going to save?
A home energy assessment by a registered energy advisor will teach you a lot about your home, how it is using energy now, where it is losing heat, and what upgrades are a priority, so this is a great place to start. The blower door test in particular can be particularly revealing, showing you where air is leaking from your home.
If you’re not ready to invest in a home energy assessment just yet, you can start by getting yourself educated. Keeping the Heat In is an excellent, accessible resource from Natural Resources Canada that can help you understand the basics of building science, energy efficiency, and the “house-as-a system” approach to upgrades. It really helps to have a knowledge base before you start engaging with contractors.
You’re also welcome to schedule a conversation with me, where we can discuss the current state of your home and what some of the options for upgrades might be. Once you get your energy assessment done, we can get further into the details.
What do you wish more people knew about energy efficiency upgrades?
I think a lot of people don’t realize just how much energy is wasted in most of the buildings we’re using today. Whether it’s drafty houses, lack of insulation, or inefficient furnaces and water heaters, so much of what people are paying in energy bills is actually going right outside and not towards improving their standard of living.
Improving the energy efficiency of your home isn’t just about lowering your bills. It’s also about making your home more functional – it can mean that areas of your home that you couldn’t use before because they were too hot or too cold are now comfortable living spaces.
I also want people to know how achievable it is to significantly reduce their home’s greenhouse gas emissions. In Peterborough, we have seen hundreds of homes reducing their emissions by 30% or more.
What types of upgrades do you see most often in Peterborough homes?
The number one upgrade we see in Peterborough homes are air source heat pumps. Heat pumps are highly efficient heating and cooling systems that are powered with electricity. When homeowners are replacing a furnace or air conditioner, a heat pump is a great option. Homeowners who have installed heat pumps are usually very impressed with how quiet they are, as well as how comfortable and even both the heating and cooling are.
We also see lots of homeowners upgrading their insulation, whether in the attic, basement or walls, with great results.
In terms of the best value for money, nothing beats improving the air tightness of homes. Using the results of the blower door test from their energy audit as a starting point, I’ve seen homeowners who take air sealing seriously reduce their rate of air leakage by 20% or more, often using a do-it-yourself approach. This improves the performance of all the other upgrades they might be doing in their home, as well as the home’s comfort by eliminating drafts.
What’s your favourite part of helping people on their retrofit journey?
I think it’s getting the chance to be a trusted resource in the middle of what – between disruption to the home, dealing with multiple contractors, and navigating loan and rebate programs – can often be an overwhelming and complex process. I get to give my clients an extra sense of security by being an impartial source for them to run ideas by and ask for advice, whether it’s about different approaches to insulation, or what qualifies for which rebate or loan program. I appreciate getting to work with members of my own community to tackle this important challenge of retrofitting their homes.
And, of course, it’s great when my clients complete their retrofits and are happy with the results –whether that’s lower bills, a more comfortable home, or lower greenhouse gas emissions.
To reach out to Clara Blakelock or the Better Homes Peterborough team, email betterhomesptbo@envirocentre.ca or call 1-888-284-9417 (toll-free).