Green Guelph

Some tips from a new business on how to lessen the impact that your home has on this lovely planet of ours:

For those of you who don’t know, I’ve recently started my own business offering eco-renovations. What’s that you ask? Well, an eco-renovation offers you the opportunity to make improvements to your home or business in a manner that protects the health of all the occupants, improves water and energy efficiency, pays attention to the global impacts of material choices, uses resources efficiently, saves you money, and allows you to take pride in your home and the difference you are making. I can tackle almost any kind of renovation, or can come in for a consultation about how you might make your home a greener place.

With the recent announcement in the federal budget of the Home Renovation Tax Credit, now is the time to jump on that renovation project you’ve been thinking about! You could receive a tax credit of up to $1350 for renovation work completed before February 1, 2010. I have some openings in my schedule coming up in February and March, so if there’s a home project you’ve been thinking about, get yourself in there before the spring rush!

Earthbound Eco-Renovations
improve energy efficiency – green building materials – enviro-friendly paints – consulting – renovations
Zack Benson
benson.zack@gmail.com
(519) 830-4412

The Green Home Files – Issue #1 – Saving Energy

Did you know that more than 17 per cent of the energy consumed in Canada is used to light, heat, and power our homes? Over the past 15 years, Canada’s energy use increased by nearly 22%, resulting in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are a whopping 29% above Kyoto targets. The good news is that education, efforts at conservation, and new standards for energy efficiency in home heating and appliances are making big savings in the residential sector.

Here’s a few things you can do that are quick, easy and cost little or nothing to save on your energy bills and reduce that ecological footprint.

Clear the way. – Make sure warm-air registers, baseboard heaters and radiators are clean and aren’t blocked by furniture or drapes. Don’t close registers in rooms that are rarely used. Although it might seem to save a bit, it actually reduces overall system efficiency and may increase duct leakage significantly.

Get those electronics off standby. – Most of our modern TV’s, computers, DVD players, stereo’s, etc. have a standby feature to make it more convenient to turn them on and use them right away without having to wait for warm up. You know that little light that stays on all the time even when you think the power is off? Don’t be lulled into thinking that teensy little light can’t be drawing much power. An average desktop computer in “sleep” or “hibernate” mode continuously draws 17 watts of power. You can adjust standby settings on some devices, but you’re best to just unplug the thing. Put multiple devices on a power bar and simply click the power off when you’re all done with them.

Keep the fridge clean and clear. - It’s not a fun job, but cleaning the coils under your fridge every couple of months can make a big difference in efficiency. All that dust and dog hair prevents heat from dissipating properly. Similarly there should be good airflow around the back and underneath the fridge to allow the same.

Insulate and seal that attic hatch. – This often overlooked opening in your ceiling is often just a single piece of plywood funneling your precious heat up to the sky. Glue some thick rigid foam to the back of it, and make sure it’s sealed well with weather stripping.

Water Heaters . – Many tank water heaters are set higher than they need to be to provide a comfortable level of hot water. Lower the thermostat a bit (don’t go below 120°F) and see if you notice a difference. Also, sediment on the bottom of a gas water heater’s tank reduces efficiency of the heating system. Flush the tank once a year by switching the gas control to “pilot” (know how to relight it if necessary) and filling pails from the drain valve at the bottom. Leave the cold water inlet at the top running to help flush out sediment.

Get an energy audit done and get a cash rebate. – Though you can try to do your own energy audit, hiring a qualified energy auditor, licensed by Natural Resources Canada’s EcoENERGY retrofit program will help you make informed decisions, and prioritize what improvements will give you the biggest payback. NRC offers incentives of up to $5000 on completed improvements recommended by the energy audit. There are several other exciting incentive programs offered by various levels of government that are also available.

If you have any questions about these or other great energy saving ideas, please feel free to contact me. Thanks, and have an energy wise day!

Zack

Earthbound Eco-Renovations
improve energy efficiency – green building materials – enviro-friendly paints – consulting – renovations
Zack Benson
benson.zack@gmail.com
(519) 830-4412