Fall into Efficient Home Heating

It won't be long until the air turns crisp with the crackle of fall and getting out from under the covers sends a shiver up your spine in the morning.  But before you crank up the thermostat, take a moment to make sure that you're heating your home in the most efficient manner possible.

According to NRCan, not only do residential space-heating systems account for up to 60 per cent of your home's energy use, but approximately 80 per cent of residential greenhouse gas emissions in Canada come from home heating.  So it's no wonder that improving your heating efficiency is a very effective way to save money and reduce your home's environmental impact.

Ever wonder how your home stacks up against the cold?  A great way to find out is to have a home energy assessment done.  This will not only pinpoint the problem areas in your home, but will help you determine which improvements will give you the most bang for your buck.

In 2006, Pamela Koss, a program manager at Climate Change Central, had a home energy assessment done on the 1978 bi-level home she owns with her boyfriend.  "I was shocked during the audit to see how much air was actually leaking through unexpected things like wall plugs and bathroom vents," said Pam.  This prompted the couple to get busy immediately with the easy and inexpensive changes like weather-stripping and caulking, as well as plan for the more expensive upgrades like insulating.  "The audit helped us identify what we can do to improve our home's efficiency," said Pam.  "I'd highly recommend an audit to anyone who would like to make their home more energy efficient but is not sure where to start."

Say Hello to a High-Efficiency Furnace

High-efficiency furnaces, generally those that are more than 90 per cent efficient, save gas and electricity and can reduce fuel costs by up to 30 per cent over a conventional furnace.  All furnaces sold in Canada are rated on their energy efficiency and have an EnerGuide label.  The higher the number on the label, the more energy efficient the furnace is.  For example, if your furnace has a 92 per cent rating it will provide 92 cents worth of heat for every dollar of fuel consumed.  Furnaces with electronically commutated motors (ECMs) can also help save large amounts of energy.  Furnaces are the second-highest user of electricity in most homes, so whether yours is high-efficiency or not, make sure that you regularly replace or clean your filter as a clean furnace doesn't work as hard and so uses less energy.

Seal Sneaky Air Leaks

About 20 per cent of heating loss occurs around windows and doors.  The small cracks and holes in a home can add up to an opening that is big enough for a large dog to crawl through.  So check walls, windows and doors for drafts and seal them up.  Weather-stripping will work around doors and operable parts of windows, and caulking will do the trick around non-opening windows, door trim, electrical sockets and plumbing fixtures. 

Warm up Your Windows

Conventional single-pane windows, even when closed, allow up to one-quarter of the heat in your house to escape.  Double-glazed, low-emissivity and ENERGY STAR^® qualified windows are a more efficient alternative.  They cut your home heating costs and provide a more comfortable indoor temperature.  An inexpensive and easy way to improve conventional single-pane windows is to apply a thin plastic film over the entire window and frame with a window insulation kit.

Insulate, Insulate, Insulate

Insulate everywhere - the roof, floors, walls, and the basement.  Insulation can save you money, reduce the amount of energy you use and make your home more comfortable.  Insulation is rated in terms of its resistance to heat flow, called an R-value.  The higher the R-value, the more effective the insulation is. 

Let the Sun Shine In

Take advantage of free heat from the sun.  Open drapes on western and southern exposure windows to help the sun warm your home during the day and close all blinds at night to help reduce heat loss.  Planting trees and shrubs around the foundation of your house helps insulate it from wind and heat loss, and if you opt for deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the fall, you'll maximize the sunlight that gets in during the cold months.

Program Your Thermostat

Install a programmable thermostat that automatically turns the house temperature up or down when you get up, go to bed and go out.  For every degree you turn the temperature down, you can save two per cent on your heating bill.