EnerGuide for Houses

A great way to figure out how to reduce your home’s air pollution impact (and save yourself money) is get an energy audit and see where your home is wasting or leaking energy. A kilowatt of power saved is the cleanest (and often cheapest) form of energy available.

The federal government’s EnerGuide for Houses program will link you to a local organization or agent that can conduct an expert energy audit of your home. (In Toronto, for example, Green$aver offers EnerGuide audits and other services – see below)

Expert energy auditors can help you decide where it makes the most sense to invest in energy savings (sealing cracks and gaps, adding insulation, upgrading heating and cooling equipment) and what your energy savings will be. And once you perform some or all of the recommended actions, the auditors will perform a free follow-up test that will tell you how much you’ve improved the energy efficiency of your home. You may also qualify for a rebate (grant) depending on the extent of this improvement.

> For a list of qualified agents and more information about the grants program, visit www.energuideforhouses.gc.ca or call 1-800-387-2000.

Green$aver's home energy audit service

The folks at Green$aver are experts in assessing where your home is leaking energy and how to fix it. If you live in Toronto you can book an home energy audit with Green$aver as part of the federal Energuide for Homes program. Green$aver says its home improvement plans result in a 30% savings on energy bills on average (every home, of course, is unique).

The average cost for realizing these savings is $1,000 to $3,000. In other words, most customers pay back their out-of-pocket expenses in a few years through energy-bill savings and thereafter actually make money on their retrofit. Even when major work is needed, many contractors offer financing packages that can be spread over as much as 10 years, generally the payback time for energy savings on major retrofit work. Coupled with the fact that many home buyers now recognize the increased value of homes with lower energy bills, it's a win-win situation.

> Find out more about Green$aver or book an audit

> Green Communities Canada

Appliances and air conditioning

Appliances and air conditioners are big electricity users. Newer ENERGY STAR units can deliver significant lifetime savings with energy bills that may be less than half what you currently pay to run your fridge or air conditioner.

> Find out more about how to get the most from your appliances

> Find out more about how to get the most from your air conditioner

Top ten energy saving tips

The folks at EnerAct have put together a Top Ten list for saving energy around your home:

> Ten ways to save energy and reduce your bill

One Less Tonne - Reduce your contribution to global climate change

Visit the One Less Tonne website to calculate some ways you can reduce your climate change impact.

20/20 The Way to Clean Air

20/20 The Way to Clean Air is a campaign created by Toronto Public Health to help you shrink your energy use by 20 percent at home and on the road. 20/20 links residents in the Greater Toronto Area with a network of money-saving energy efficiency services and products. Learn how small changes make a big difference to the air we breathe.

> Learn more about the 20/20 program.

In the market for a newly built home?

Think carefully about the energy cost of any new home and check to see if it meets or exceeds the R2000 energy standard. You're going to own this house -- and its energy bills -- for many years to come, so making an investment in energy efficiency today can really pay off over the long term.

> Energy tips for new homes

> For more information on how you can conserve energy in your home without sacrificing comfort, check out our Links page for more websites with information on energy conservation

> Also see our list of suppliers of renewable energy products and services.

Energy Calculators Use our easy calculators to see the energy costs and emissions for your appliances, air conditioners and lighting.	Appliances	Air Conditioning	Lighting	Green Energy