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Energy Tips
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Some of the
biggest question marks in Canadians’ minds these days are how
increasing energy costs and the privatization of power providers will
affect them. There is a current of fear running through the general
population over home energy use. In the face of this electrical
shock, here are 10 tips on how to make your home more energy efficient.
A
Drafty Home
Space heating
is ranked as the highest drain of energy in Canadian homes (60% of
the total energy used in homes for 2000, according to Natural
Resources Canada). Making your home relatively airtight can not only
make your home cozier this winter, but cheaper, too.
1. Check for
holes or cracks around anything that might leak air into or out of
your home - windows, doors, lights, plumbing fixtures, switches, and
electrical outlets. Insulate fixtures, switches and outlets. Repair
holes and cracks.
2. Check for
open fireplace dampers. Close dampers and install sliding glass doors
on fireplace.
3. Wrap
aluminum tape around joints on heating and cooling.
4. Install
exterior or interior storm windows. Storm windows can reduce your
heat loss through the windows by 25% to 50%.
Turn
Off The Light
Lighting
represents the second highest growth in energy consumption in Canada,
with a 16% increase over the last decade. This is more than double
the next highest jump in energy consumption (water heating). Decrease
your lighting needs to increase your savings.
5. Look for
ways to use daylight more effectively and reduce the time the lights
are on.
6. Consider
making concentrated lighting areas - for example, using separate
lighting over the kitchen sink, stove and table instead of the whole room.
7. If you have
torchiere fixtures with halogen lamps, consider replacing them with
compact fluorescent torchieres. Compact fluorescent tubes use 60% to
80% less energy and can produce more light than the halogen bulbs.
Chilling
News
The
refrigerator is the highest energy user of all the household
appliances, including your dishwasher and clothes dryer, using 39.6
petajoules (1 petajoule = 1 billion megajoules) of energy a year.
That’s 21% of all the energy consumed by your appliances
annually. Here’s how to chill your next electrical bill.
8. Don't keep
a second fridge, especially if it an older one. A 15-year-old
refrigerator could cost more than $230 a year!
9. Keep your
refrigerator or freezer at the following temperatures: 3 to 4°C
(37 to 40°F) for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator,
-18 to -15°C (0 to 5°F) for the freezer section. Use a
thermometer to check inside temperatures.
10. Mark items
in the freezer for quick identification so that you don't have to
keep the door open longer than necessary. |
