Save Your Money


HOME HEATING TIPS 

Set your thermostat to 18 degrees Celsius when you’re asleep or not at home. When you’re at home, set it to 20 degrees. If you’re away for an extended period of time, set it to 16 degrees. Use a programmable thermostat to change the settings automatically – there are programmable thermostats for central heating and baseboard heaters.

Adjust your ceiling fan. Switch your fan so it spins clockwise and set it on the slowest speed. This circulates the warm air that collects near the ceiling back down into the room.

Let the sun shine in! Open your window blinds and curtains to let the sun warm your home during the day. Remember to close them at night to reduce the heat loss through your windows.

Change furnace filters regularly. You should do so every other month or monthly if you have pets. A dirty furnace filter reduces air flow and makes your furnace fan work harder; clean filters can save up to 5% of electricity use.

Use special tape to seal leaky heating ducts. It’s easy to apply and keeps the warm air going to where it’s needed.
 

FIGHT PHANTOM LOAD 

Ghost bust your phantom power (the power still flowing to your electronics when they’re “off” or “on standby”).  Purchase a power bar with a timer to turn off computers and their printers, speakers, scanners, etc. at times when you’re not likely to use your electronics. Power bars also work well for TVs, stereos, DVD players and the like. Spot the phantoms by looking for the telltale red and green LED lights on your equipment – if you see one glowing, the power is still flowing!
Create a “charging station” for your portable and rechargeable electronics. Those black boxes on your cell phone or digital camera chargers are warm to the touch because they’re using electricity, even when your device is fully charged. Plug all your chargers into a power bar with an integrated timer – set the timer to come on overnight so you aren’t using electricity all day.
 

SMART LIGHTING 

Switch to Seasonal LEDs indoors and out. Trade in those old, inefficient incandescent holiday lights for Seasonal LEDs – they use 95 percent less electricity, last 10 times longer, and give off virtually no heat so they’re safer to use.

Turn down the lights. Dimmer switches help you use only the amount of light – and electricity – you really need. And remember, keep your lights clean – a cleaner bulb is a brighter bulb.
 
Turn off the lights. An unlit light does not use electricity. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs whenever possible – they use 75% less electricity and last much longer than incandescent styles. Motion sensors can also help you ensure those lights go off when you’re not in the room.
  

USE YOUR APPLIANCES EFFICIENTLY

Get rid of the old, inefficient fridge in the basement. It’s is wasting both space and energy. The fridge you bought in 1975 costs about four times as much to run as a new ENERGY STAR® model.

Defrost for savings. When the inside of your chest freezer has a build-up of frost about the width of a pencil, it’s time to defrost so it doesn’t have to run as often to keep your food frozen.

Dry naturally. If you have the space, use clothes drying racks instead of your clothes dryer. And when the water evaporates from your clothes, it naturally adds humidity to the dry winter air in your house.

Don’t over-cool your food. Is the temperature of your refrigerator and your freezer set for only as cold as you need? Defrost your manual-defrost freezer regularly to ensure it operates at maximum efficiency.

Take a quick shower instead of a bath. A typical bath uses about 75 litres of hot water, while a five-minute shower with an energy efficient showerhead will use about half that amount.

Wash your clothes in cold or warm water. Did you know that 85-90% of the energy used by washing machines is used to heat the water?

Use energy-saving small appliances, and use the big ones less often. Electric kettles, toaster ovens, or microwaves use much less electricity than stoves and ovens.

Go for the full load. Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when you have a full load, and use the energy-saving cycle, if your appliance has one.
 

INVEST FOR SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS

Replace your old furnace. If it’s time for a new furnace, consider an energy-efficient model equipped with an electronically commuted motor (ECM). It can reduce your heating costs significantly and you can take advantage of rebates to save money right away! 

Seal the deal on electricity savings. Weather stripping and caulking around windows, ducts and doors can cut your heating and cooling bill by 10%. Use window film to reduce drafts around older windows. Beef up your insulation. Larger projects such as increasing ceiling insulation to R-30 standards can cut the home heating and cooling cost of a properly sealed home by 20-25%. Purchasing an R-2000 or ENERGY STAR® home could save you 30 – 40% of the energy of a home built to the minimum Ontario Building Code standards.

Landscape for energy efficiency. Planting evergreen trees on the north and east sides of your home can help to shelter your home from cold winter winds and provide electricity savings. Remember to plant deciduous trees on the south and west sides of your house so they shade your house in the summer. Once they lose their leaves in the fall, the sun can shine in your home all winter!

Ready to go the extra mile for energy efficiency? Consider investing to improve your home’s energy efficiency. With increasing energy costs, pay-back periods are becoming shorter and the benefits are being realized more quickly. And some financial institutions are even offering preferred rates on loans to improve the energy-efficiency of your home.

Plan your savings. Having a professional energy audit of your home can provide you with a plan to improve your home’s energy efficiency and help you maximize your investment.