Posts Tagged ‘Energy Efficiency’

Getting ready for the winter holidays can be a stressful time. Homeworks’ has put together some energy saving tips that will make it a little easier on your wallets and allow you to save on your energy bill this winter season. Not only, will you be helping yourselves but you will also be making a contribution to saving the environment. Here are 10 tips to reducing your energy bill:

* Stop opening the fridge or freezer-when deciding what to retrieve from the freezer or fridge try to open them scarcely and think about what you are getting before hand. Don’t over-stuff your freezer-it reduces the efficiency. Finally, ensure that your cooling coils on your refrigerator are cleaned regularly to ensure they always perform well.

* Keep the lid on-keep lids on pots while boiling and simmering to save energy. Also, instead of using your electric oven opt for the toaster oven for smaller items. Save on cooking time by thawing food completely and keep the oven door closed as much as you can.

* Fill that dishwasher-make sure your dishwasher is loaded correctly and fully loaded to ensure your dishes are cleaned properly. Wash dishes on the shortest wash cycle and let them air dry afterwords.

* Let a blanket be your best friend-an extra blanket or sweater works just as well as having the heat up really high and it saves money. Make sure doors to the outside are properly closed and use programmable thermostats to regulate heat when you’re not home.

* Let the sun shine in-open your blinds or curtains instead of turning lights on during the day. Switch your light bulbs to CFL’s (compact fluorescent light bulbs) they are more energy efficient and last much longer.

* Cut your showers down- long hot showers and baths are nice but certainly a big contributor to your energy bill. Cut down your shower time and install low-flow shower heads and hot water heater timers. Putting an insulating cover for you water heater and pipes also adds to conservation.

* Insulate your house-an easy way to capture wasted energy is to have proper insulation in the home. Having your floors, wall and crawlspace properly insulated will impact your energy use immensely. Weather-stripping and sealing any gaps or cracks in doors and windows is also beneficial.

* Laundry you like- try to use detergent scarcely and use cold water whenever possible. Dryer sheets can be ripped in half and are still just as effective. Do not overload the dryer and try to let your clothes air dry.

* Computers sleep too- turn off your computer when you are not using it and turn down the brightness of your monitor when it is in use. Remember to turn off any additional equipment such as printers. Set your computers to go to ‘sleep mode’ when they are inactive.

If you are interested in improving the energy efficiency of your home, book a free in-home consultation, visit our showrooms or call 604.697.5700.

With “Going Green” being the latest trend in home improvement, many people want to take part but often do not know where to start. Having an ecoEnergy audit preformed on your house can be a great first step and help provide a clear step-by-step plan to upgrading your home in an energy-efficient manner.

An ecoEnergy audit is preformed by an outside organization’s certified energy adviser and the assessment will evaluate the energy efficiency of your home. The focus of the initial audit will be on windows, doors, the heating system and insulation and typically takes around two hours and costs around $150 per visit. A “blower door” test is completed in order to determine if there are any air leaks, a major contributor to heat loss.

Once the assessment is finished the certified energy adviser will present you with a report which will provide you with an analysis of the amount of energy you are using, where and will provide solutions to better allocate your “energy dollars” to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Accompanying the report will also be a rating of you home of how it compares to others with respect to energy efficiency.

By implementing the recommended upgrades it will allow you to reduce cold drafts of your home, identify moisture problems, improve your home’s ventilation, reduce overall energy use and save money on your energy bills.

These audits are done by organizations that are unaffiliated with Homeworks therefore, will give you a completely objective measure of your home. After, you have completed your upgrades you call the certified energy advisers back to assess the improvement of energy efficiency in your home. Having these tests done will typically qualify you for ecoEnergy federal grants and other incentives.

If you are interested in improving the energy efficiency of your home, book a free in-home consultation, visit our showrooms or call 604.697.5700.

We see this ENERGY STAR label everywhere, but does anyone really know the meaning behind it? And the question begs, how does it help us as consumers?

So lets figure out what it means together; it is defined as the international symbol that differentiates products with premium energy efficiency compared to others in its category. Products that show the ENERGY STAR symbol have been examined with respect to prearranged regulations and have met or surpassed higher energy efficiency levels without compromising functionality. The products included by ENERGY STAR range from office equipment to windows and doors.

The ENERGY STAR symbol was first introduced in the US and was initially used for computers and monitors and currently can be located on almost 40 product types including residential heating and cooling equipment. ENERGY STAR has grown to be recognized internationally including countries from Europe to Taiwan and many in between including Canada.

So now that you know a little bit about it, you might be wandering how do different products qualify for this label? Well don’t worry you don’t have to go far, its going to all be explained right here! Products must meet technical specifications designed to ensure that they are among the top energy performers on the market. The general guidelines of how products are selected are:

* There must be significant energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions that can be realized throughout the country
* Product performance must be maintained or enhanced with energy efficiency
* Many energy efficiency models are also high quality with a wide range of desired features and they must ensure overall performance is maintained
* You must recover your investment in a reasonable period of time with the purchase of a product
* Specifications are set so that energy efficiency criteria can be met through the use of several technology options and can not favour one manufacturer
* Labeling would substantially differentiate energy efficient products from others
* Energy consumption of a product is able to be measured

So now that your are armed with the information, the next time you are shopping for a product and see the ENERGY STAR symbol you will have a better idea of what you would be purchasing. The majority of products sold at Homeworks are ENERGY STAR rated including all of our heat pumps, furnaces, windows and doors.

For more information and where to find qualified products visit the Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency. Or visit our showrooms or call 604.697.5700 and we can help guide and inform you throughout your purchase decisions.