Heating your home efficiently
These tips will help you lower your home’s energy use, which will save you money and help protect the environment, while you continue to stay warm this winter because we all know how cold it gets here in Brampton Ontario.
Save power
Reduce your hot water consumption by up to 50 per cent by using low-flow aerated showerheads, and save 15 per cent off your monthly power bill. The air added to the water keeps the water pressure strong while saving you hot water and money
Save the environment
Recycle your heating appliances
Things you can do
Open curtains and blinds during the day to let heat in, and close them at night to help keep the heat inside your home
Vacuum baseboard heaters at least twice a year to prevent dust from building up, so heat can more easily move through your house
Space heaters
A space heater used 8 hours a day can cost over $21 a month to operate, making it one of the worst winter power culprits
Turn off your space heater when you leave the room or go to bed at night
Furnaces
Clean your furnace filter regularly and make sure your chimney and outdoor vents are not blocked
Have a trained professional inspect your furnace in the fall every year to make sure it is working efficiently. If your furnace is taken care of, it will be safer, use less electricity and cost less to operate
If your furnace has a continuous pilot light, shut off the pilot light for the summer and have a technician relight it in the fall during your annual inspection. An inspection costs around $100, but could more than pay for itself in power savings if your furnace isn’t running properly
Thermostats (natural gas tips)
Set your thermostat lower in the winter
Install a programmable thermostat that you can set to automatically lower the temperature when you normally leave the house or go to bed. You can also set it to automatically raise the temperature shortly before you get up in the morning
By simply lowering your thermostat by 2 degrees for eight hours every night, in the winter, you’ll save approximately 4 per cent on your heating bill
Install an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat away from natural cool and hot spots in your home. They provide more flexibility than standard models and perform one or more of the following functions: Save and repeat multiple daily settings, which you can change when needed without affecting the rest of the daily or weekly program; store four or more temperature settings a day; and adjust heating or air conditioning turn-on times as the outside temperature change.
Water heaters
Your water heater is one of the biggest energy users in your home, second only to the furnace
Make sure your water heater is insulated properly
Taking long hot showers is an expensive way to warm up. Consider taking short showers instead
If you’re keeping an older hot water appliance, insulate the heater and the first metre of piping. The insulation pays for itself by preventing energy being wasted into thin air
Lower the thermostat to 55 degrees to save energy. Make sure it is at 55 degrees and not any lower, as this would risk the growth of disease-carrying bacteria such as legionella. Some older dishwashers need to have the water at 60 degrees in order to work properly. If your dishwasher doesn’t have an element to boost the temperature, you may have to set the thermostat at 60 degrees
Hot tubs
Turn your hot tub thermostat down if you won’t be using it for a week or more. It costs less to re-heat your water than to always keep it hot
Make sure your hot tub cover fits properly and is in good condition. Keep your hot tub covered as much as possible. Adding a floating thermal blanket under the cover will help retain even more heat
Put your hot tub in a sheltered area to prevent wind from cooling the water down.
Have a trained professional inspect your furnace in the fall every year to make sure it is working efficiently. If your furnace is taken care of, it will be safer, use less electricity and cost less to operate