Tips on making your home more energy-efficient

  • Install a programmable thermostat - lower your home temperature at night and whenever you're away for several hours. You can save up to two per cent on your heating bill for every degree you roll back the temperature.
  • Seal air leaks around your front door, windows, and electrical outlets through measures such as weather- stripping and caulking.
  • Change your bulbs - buy long- lasting ENERGY STAR®-certified compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or light emitting diodes (LEDs).
  • Insulate your pipes - cover the first two metres of hot and cold water pipes with foam sleeves or insulating wrap to save on water heating costs and lower water usage (leave a 15 cm (6-inch) clearance between insulation and vent pipes on fuel-fired water heaters).
  • Improve insulation levels in your home walls, roof, attic, and basement.
  • Get a timer for your block heater - set it to turn on just an hour or two before you need to start your vehicle.
  • Upgrade your exhaust fans - choose ENERGY STAR®-certified models for your bathroom and kitchen and vent them outdoors. You can also add timers to reduce power consumption.
  • Go low-flow - install water- saving toilets, faucet aerators and showerheads (rated at less than 7.6 litres per minute). You can also check and repair leaky faucets and outside hose bibs.
  • Plug into power bars - choose models with timers or master plugs that can power-down devices when they are not in use so they don't consume standby power.
  • When buying new appliances and HVAC equipment, purchase those with the ENERGY STAR label or higher energy efficiency models.
  • If you're shopping for new lighting fixtures, buy ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR label.
  • Replace older windows with energy- saving ones such as those certified as ENERGY STAR.
  • Arrange for an EnerGuide home evaluation.
  • Check with your REALTOR® to see if there are other modest ways to make your home more energy- efficient.