As winter approaches, many homeowners are thinking of ways to reduce their winter heating costs. Programmable thermostats are a go-to as they have the potential to reduce home energy bills, but are they worth the higher initial investment? We take a look at whether a programmable thermostat is really a good investment for you.
Whether you are considering a retrofit of your old home or building a new home, a home energy audit or assessment will let you know where your home’s energy efficiency weak points are.
Whether you are in the market for a home, building a new home or considering a renovation, you understand the importance of having a secure building envelope. A robust building envelope will mean your energy bills are lower, your home is more comfortable and you reduce your impact on the environment. The trouble is, there are so many products on the market to choose from and deciphering R-value and U-values can be difficult.
Whether you are retrofitting your existing home or thinking of a new addition, you can take this opportunity to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Having an efficient building envelope will save on your monthly bills, increase your resale value and it’s great for the environment.
As Jack Frost starts to really sink his teeth in this winter, you may be tempted to throw caution to the wind and crank up the thermostat. You can offset your higher winter energy consumption with these easy energy-saving tips and tricks that will help keep your bills low. Check with your local government to see if your energy-saving measures qualify for rebates.
If winter heating is your biggest utility expense, then use these quick and easy steps to lower your bills, save money and reduce the negative impact you have on your environment. While some improvements in the efficacy of your building envelope are cheap (like caulking cracks and holes), others may be more costly (like replacing your furnace with an Energy Star one). In instances where you are spending more, check whether the government incentives and tax cuts to promote energy efficiency cover some of your costs.
Tankless water heaters make sense in theory. It does seem like a waste of energy to have a large tank of water being continuously heated in your home, even when you don’t need it. Tankless water heaters use gas to heat water on demand and boast savings of up to 20% on your utilities bill. They do come with some drawbacks, the most prohibitive of which is the considerable cost of these units. We take a look at the pros and cons of tankless water heaters to decide if they are a worthwhile investment.
As housing picks up in North America, a shortage of lumber and building supplies is driving prices up. As the gap between the cost of traditional building materials and insulated concrete forms drops, more and more discerning homeowners are making the switch to ICFs. It’s easy to see why; ICFs offer an abundance of advantages over stick-frame homes and help homeowners to save on insurance costs and utility bills.
There is no recipe for the perfect net zero home, but there are principles that guide the design professional in creating a structure where all the components work together in a harmony of energy conservation and generation. Energy is conserved with an effective building envelope, efficient appliances and structural orientation while a source of renewable energy provides all the power you need for a clean energy slate. Here are the (arguably) five most important elements in creating an effective net zero structure.
A new project by Chris Magwood and the team from Endeavor Center is pushing the envelope of green building technology. Unlike other projects of its kind, this home in Peterborough was built without the help of grants or subsidies, but as a purely commercial effort. This is because Chris believes that the market is changing and the building industry must emulate that change to meet the growing demand for greener homes: “Placing the house on the open market will hopefully show other builders that there is an appetite for homes of this type. We believe that the market is changing and that owners are willing to invest in a home that has very low operating costs and a high degree of resilience, and which makes their health and wellbeing a priority,” said Magwood.
