Toronto Renovation Stories & Expert Advice

Improving Your Home's Energy Efficiency - Part 1

Home Energy Efficiency:

According to meteorologists, this winter was supposed to be the coldest in 15 years. While December was certainly the snowiest I've seen in awhile, I wouldn't exactly say it's been bitterly cold out there (okay, so as I'm writing this it's -10 and with the windchill it's -18 so what do I know?). However, with all our temperature ups and downs, and we humans being the root cause of them (not really disputed by many anymore), not to mention oil hitting the magic $100/barrel mark, one thing you can do for wallet and the planet is increase your home's energy efficiency. As gas and electricity prices continue to rise, making your home use less electricity and gas all around is a sensible thing to do.

Where to start?

Your home is freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer. You can hold a Kleenex in the air and watch the breeze push it away from the window. You know you need insulation, drafts caulked, and windows replaced, but you're not exactly sure how to go about it.

A home energy audit will help you determine where the drafts are coming from and what areas of your home are lacking in insulation. It will also identify other energy wasters such as your furnace's efficiency, old appliances and whether they need replacing and how well your windows are holding up. However, in order to qualify for an "EcoAction" grant (that's the Federal grant program) for your home improvement projects, you need to have an energy audit performed by a federally approved and licensed agency. Not sure where to find one? Funny you should ask! We have a list of federally approved energy auditors in our directory. Already had an energy audit done? Share your story and help out those who are just venturing into theirs.

For more information on the EcoAction grant and qualifications go to:
http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/ecoenergy-ecoenergie/retrofithomes-renovationmaisons-eng.cfm

Labels: energy audits, energy efficiency, retrofit grants

Posted by Cathy
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