Make your home more energy efficient & stay warm this winter

Visit Efficiency NB for tips on ways to keep your home cozy and save money, including rebate programs.

Every fall when the temperature dips and the house starts to feel a little chilly we start to think about new ways to keep our house cozy. We don’t want to spend more than necessary to stay warm, and we don’t want to waste energy. Heating can account for up to 60% of your home energy bill and most of a home’s carbon footprint so our goal is to search out the most efficient tools and tweaks for the winter months. 

This year’s wish list – a wall mounted air-to-air heat pumpfor the bedroom area of our home, the chilliest part of our house.

 

These air-to-air gadgets aren’t pretty but the ductless option is easy to install and more efficient than your standard heating systems (like hot water and electric baseboards), generating up to three-and-a-half times more energy than they consume. 

Finding efficient ways to generate heat is only one way to make your house snug. Doing all that you can to keep your hard-earned heat in is as important.  

Properly insulating your attic and your basement are key to keeping your home warm but focusing on the in-between is important too.

 

Draft-proofing your home can reduce your heating bill by as much as 10%.

 

That means caulking around door and window trim, caulking baseboards top and bottom, on inside walls as well as outside walls, and replacing worn weather-stripping. 

Insulate your light switches and power outlets with foam gaskets designed to fit neatly behind the cover plates. Put child-safety plugs in empty wall sockets.  

Install programmable thermostats and set them at a constant heat for when you’re home.

 

Set them lower when you’re sleeping or not home. (You’ll save 5% on your heating bill for every degree you lower your thermostat below 70.)  

Keep your heating system in top form so it’s operating as efficiently as possible.

 

As part of the maintenance you can have the efficiency checked.  Consider replacing your furnace if it’s old, no longer running efficiently or too large for your home (a common problem in old homes). Have your furnace cleaned annually and clean the filters monthly during heating season.  

A fireplace sucks heat out of your home and draws cold air into your home so making it as efficient as possible will help to keep your home snug.

 

Consider installing an insert (pellet is more eco-friendly) to keep heat from escaping and turn the fireplace into an efficient heating source. At the very least install glass doors so less warm air is drawn out of your house and cold air from outside can’t get in.   

For more information on how to reduce your heating costs and keep your home warmer visit efficiencynb.ca. They offer tips and tools to help you make your home more efficient and incentives (up to $6,000) for efficiency upgrades.