No-cost & Low-cost Energy Saving Tips

Lighting accounts for 1/8th of the average Canadian home’s electricity bill. Replace standard bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL’s), which use about 75% less electricity than standard bulbs and last much longer.

Water heating accounts for up to half of the average Canadian home’s electricity bill, and showers account for about one-third of that. Replace your shower head with a low-flow model, which reduces shower water usage by about 50% without affecting comfort.

Washing clothes accounts for about ¼ of the average Canadian home’s water heating bill. Most clothes wash just as well in cold water, and using the cold/cold cycle instead of hot/warm reduces the energy used per load by a whopping 90%.

Water heater standard temperature settings are 60°C, but 49°C is sufficient for most homes’ needs. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket to reduce heat loss, thereby conserving energy and increasing savings. (Electric water heaters should stay at 60°, due to the risk of legionnaire’s disease.)

Home heating costs can be reduced by sealing air leaks around windows and doors using weather-stripping and/or caulking. This will also make your home comfortable in the winter. Turning down the heat when out, and at night, will typically cut home heating bills by 15% (a programmable thermostat can help).

Insulation in your home’s attic, walls and basement mean less energy is needed for heating. Upgrades can typically improve a home’s energy efficiency by 15%.

Appliances such as your old refrigerator, freezer or clothes dryers can consume up to three times more electricity than an energy-efficient one. Look for the Energy Star rating, which identifies the most energy-efficient model. (And don’t hold on to the old one: that beer fridge in the basement could be responsible for one-tenth or more of your home’s electricity bill!)

Road transportation accounts for almost half of the average Canadian’s energy consumption. Every 1 km/h reduction in highway cruising speed reduces fuel consumption, fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions by about 1%.

Vehicle maintenance can reduce fuel consumption and decrease emissions. Properly inflated tires will improve fuel consumption efficiency by up to 5%.

Idling your vehicle for just 10 minutes a day uses an average of 100 litres of gas per year. Even in winter, 30 seconds is sufficient: driving warms the engine best.

Buying local will save fuel and keep money in your community. Buying fresh instead of frozen avoids heavily packaged products and uses 10 times less total energy.

A series of How-to’s can be found on the Conserve Nova Scotia website.

Posted by Mike Targett | Email a comment