Most homeowners today would never think of purchasing a house without having an inspection done beforehand, to ensure that what they see is what they’re getting.

But even in taking that precaution, said North Bay engineer Dave Smits, they’re only getting half the picture.

He believes having no data on the functionality of a house — for many, the most significant and expensive asset they’ll ever own — ahead of purchase is analogous to buying a car without knowing its performance rating.

“If I was told the car that I’m in hasn’t had any sort of crash testing and other performance testing done on it, I don’t know that I’d want to be driving in that car,” said Smits, a mechanical engineer with more than 30 years of experience in building design.

“So, why is it that we live in homes that haven’t had that testing done?”

Smits, a partner with the North Bay firm Induspec, made his comments during a Feb. 10 online talk about sustainable design, hosted by Next Economy: North Bay, a grassroots group of business and community leaders promoting a low-carbon economy.

Though efficiency and sustainability have become priorities for most builders, Smits said Canada as a whole has done a poor job of advancing their use over the last two decades.

Based on existing data, he said, energy efficiency in residential buildings in Canada has improved by about 30 per cent in 27 years, or a little over one per cent per year.

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