A representative from Horizon Utilities came by this morning and installed my new, free programmable thermostat. I signed up for the peek saver program, which gives you a $25 credit on your account and a free programmable thermostat. Then at peek energy times they can send a wireless signal to temporarily alter the central air conditioner’s compressor cycle to 15 minutes on then 15 minutes off for 4 hours between May and September. I think it is a win – win situation. They have installed aournd 7000 so far in St. Catharines and Hamilton. And if you have been thinking about it, they have just updated the thermostats that they are installing – so now is a good time.
http://www.horizonutilities.com/HHSC/html/conservation/con_OPApeaksaver.jsp
In our household energy use 49% goes towards heating and cooling, anything we can do in our homes to improve heating and cooling pays off big for the environment, and usually for our wallet.
Here are some helps in the heating and cooling area:
- replace older heating systems with an energy efficient furnace
- check and replace filters regularly, have annual tune-ups, make sure all the ducts are sealed properly to ensure maximum air flow
- installing a programmable thermostat can save 5-10% on an energy bill
- use a ceiling fan instead of AC (the fan uses one tenth the electricity per year)
- living in the northern hemisphere plant coniferous trees on the north side to block cold winds and plant deciduous trees on the south side for shade (carefully positioned trees can save up to 25% of the energy used for cooling)
- close curtains and blinds at night during winter and during the day in the summer
- turn the thermostat down by 1 or 2 degrees
A great way to determine your home energy deficits is to bring in an energy auditor or a home performance analyst. There is also government funding for this (this one is specifically Ontario).
http://www.homeenergyontario.ca/blue/index.asp?lang=en&sec=blue
The government is interested in helping us to be more energy efficient. Here are a couple of other websites that list some funding available through Environment Canada and Natural Resources Canada. It is a bit of reading, but if you are thinking of making changes, check these websites out first.
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/programs.cfm?attr=4
I am excited about the new thermostat, and if I wanted I could change the temperature in my house right now. It is accessible over the Internet, cool hey?!
