Spring into action

Summer is just around the corner – which means goodbye to expensive heating bills! Of course, it also means saying hello to expensive cooling costs.

The average American home spends around $1,900 annually on energy. Depending on the region, summer is often more expensive than winter. This is less true in Canada for obvious reasons, but that doesn’t mean the summer months are an energy-free ride. Far from it!

Spring Cleaning  For many, the first rite of spring is perhaps the least pleasant – spring-cleaning. It’s a formidable task, but it’s also a great opportunity to start summer the right way, and put into place some ideas and ways to save energy in the months to come.

What’s the very first step in spring-cleaning? Not the garage, not the bathrooms, but the store. Chances are, you’ll need to stock up on cleaning supplies before The Big Scrub. The trip to the store is your first chance to start summer right.

You probably know by now it’s best to consider eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaners, but you can go further. Sponges, brooms, spray bottles – there are green options for any cleaning product you can imagine.

Not all garbage goes to the dump  Part of spring-cleaning is the big garbage haul – ditching the stuff that tends to accumulate over winter. Not everything you’re looking to get rid of should go to the dump, though. Many municipalities offer collection programs and/or depots for paint cans, batteries, appliances, electronics, chemicals – “Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste” (MHSW).

A simple Internet search will help you find out more about local MHSW facilities and services. Or if you want to go old school, a stroll through the blue pages (the government listings in the phone book…yes, they still make those).

Saving energy = saving money  Beyond spring-cleaning, there are plenty of easy ways to save energy – and money – during those hot summer nights. In fact, start by thinking about summer nights in particular.

Unless you live in a very humid climate, there’s nothing to be gained by running your air conditioning at night. Installing an automatic setback thermostat that turns off your air conditioner at night can save a third of your summer climate control costs.

Not all solutions involve the purchase and installation of anything, unless your house came with no windows. Opening windows costs nothing, and can save a lot. In the evening and at night, windows allow cooler air into your home, foregoing the air conditioning.

Still not cool enough? Ceiling fans might be a good compromise. They use less electricity – about five cents per hour. Not all fans are created equal. You know about room fans, but many new homes feature whole-house fans. It uses cool air in the evening to cool the entire house and push hot air out from the attic. You can install a whole-house fan in almost any home with an attic.

He who dabbles, saves  Okay, you can’t live without your air-conditioning, and none of the above advice appeals to you in the slightest.

You can still save energy and money if you optimize your temperature settings. Depending on your climate conditions, you use three to five per cent more energy for each degree cooler you set your air conditioner. If you’re comfortably cool at 18 or 19 degrees, you’re probably not going to die with the temperature a degree or two higher.

No matter how much you use your air conditioner, it’s worthwhile checking the filter. At a minimum, you should be changing the filter every three months, or monthly if you use it a lot. A dirty filter wastes energy by slowing air flow, making the system work harder to keep you cool. A clean filter also prevents dust and dirt buildup.

Time for your annual energy check-up  Of course, if you’re spending what seems to be too much money on your heating and cooling, an energy audit is a good idea. You can hire a professional to inspect every nook, cranny and crack, but you can easily conduct your own home energy audit.

Think of it as an annual check-up for your home. Check for problem spots, making sure each and every part works as well as it did last year. A basic-but-attentive walkthrough allows you to spot many potential problems. Keep a checklist of problem areas – this will help you prioritize any efficiency upgrades.

Look for air leaks, and examine your insulation, the state of your heating and cooling appliances, and your lighting. Keep an eye (or nose) open for rooms that are colder or hotter than other rooms in the house, a sudden increase in dust levels, drafts, mold, mildew or dusty odours, and of course – sudden leaps in your energy bills. 

Houses need bailouts, too  If you are (understandably) understandably reluctant to conduct a thorough home energy audit, because deep down somewhere near the cockles of your heart…you’re afraid of finding something bad – and expensive to update or fix.

Luckily, the federal government has recently expanded their ecoENERGY retrofit – Homes program – adding $300 million in funding over two years. Existing grants have been increased by 25 per cent.

Part of the Economic Action Plan, the ecoENERGY program is intended to help homeowners cover the cost of making their homes more energy-efficient. Home and property owners are eligible for grants up to $5,000 per home to offset the cost of making improvements.

Go Green by planting green  Consider expanding your home energy audit to your yard. Sometimes, energy savings can be as easy as planting a tree.

Leafy (deciduous) trees are of tremendous benefit in summer and winter – if you’re smart and plant them on the sunny side of your house. If you’re expecting a complicated biological-chemical formula to explain why, prepare to be disappointed. It’s much simpler than that.

During the summer, trees provide shade, and when they shed leaves in winter they allow warming sunshine through. That’s not rocket science. If you only have access to a north yard, you’re not out of luck. Pine or fir trees planted on the north side provide an energy-saving windbreak.