How thermal mass can help you heat your home for free

Over the last couple of weeks we have looked at a number of ways for you to heat your home while reducing your carbon footprint and lowering your utility bill. But how would you like to heat your house for free? You don’t have to lift a finger; no mechanics, no moving parts and no electronics. If this sounds too good to be true, then keep reading.

Passive solar heating utilizes the floors, walls and other thermal masses to absorb solar energy during the day and distribute this heat back into the home during the colder evening hours. Solar heating can be combined into new building designs or retrofitted to your existing structure to provide heating, cooling and natural light. Read more

Replacing your old furnace does require a capital outlay, but new, energy efficient furnaces will pay themselves off and have you saving money in no time! Winter heating costs can add thousands of dollars to your utilities bill every year. There are a number of ways to reduce these costs and still keep you and yours cosy this winter.

Condensing Gas Furnace

Efficiency in furnaces refers to the amount of energy that is lost when it is converted from one form to another, such as the embodied energy in natural gas, to heat energy output in your home. Condensing gas furnaces are the most energy efficient choice when it comes to residential heating. With an amazing energy efficiency of 90 to 97%, these babies sure beat the hell out of your struggling, noisy, old furnace from the 1980′s which weighs in with an unimpressive efficiency of around 60%. That makes condensing gas furnaces 10% more efficient than other energy efficient models and a massive 30% more efficient than those ancient denizens of Ontario basements. If you are the not-so-proud owner of an old furnace, you could be saving as much as $300 a year by switching to a condensing gas furnace. Not to mention the favourable impact you will be making to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Read more

A three part series on energy efficient ways to heat your home this winter

Heating homes in the winter costs Canadians thousands of dollars each year and contributes significantly to green house gas emissions. There are a plethora of ways to drive your winter heating bills down. From improved insulation to keep the heat in, to more efficient methods of creating the heat in the first place; we will be looking at ways for you to warm your home for less. Keep the home fires burning this year while making a positive contribution to the environment.

In hot water: water heater savings that will warm your cockles

Between 13 and 20% of your home’s heating bill can be attributed to your water heater. The average water heater uses 6,400 kilowatt hours of electricity and releases an average of 8 tons of COâ‚‚ into the atmosphere annually. Common water heaters keep your water at a steady 60°C all day, every day; regardless of whether you are at the dentist, on vacation, or showering at the gym. Having a giant tub of hot water hanging around seems a little excessive, unless of course you are expecting a marauding army of invaders to scale the walls of your castle. There are a number of more cost-effective ways to keep you and yours in hot water without breaking the bank or ruining the environment. Read more

How urban gardening is helping to green and feed our cities

Guerrilla gardening is an act of defiance. It says ‘no thank you’ to the paving, asphalt and concrete that pervades our cities. It is reclaiming the sidewalks, roof tops and parking lots on behalf of Mother Nature. Urban gardening is not only picturesque; it also provides food to local residents and shelter to city birds. Urban gardens give new meaning to the concept of eating locally, cutting down on the greenhouse gases created by transporting fruits and vegetables over long distances. Roof gardens and green walls can also help to insulate a home or building, saving money by producing food and reducing heating and cooling costs for the homeowner. Now ‘greening’ your home takes on a more literal (and delicious) meaning. Read more