Heating and Cooling
Heating Tips
No-cost
- Check your room temperature with a thermometer or gauge and adjust heating devices accordingly.
- Wear slippers or socks and a warm sweater instead of setting thermostats higher.
- Open window coverings to let in free solar heat on sunny winter days.
- Close window coverings to help keep heat in on cold winter evenings.
- Make sure any unnecessary baseboard heaters are shut off at the circuit breaker in your electrical panel.
- At the end of the heating season, make sure all baseboard heaters are "off" at the circuit breaker in your electrical panel.
- Check the status of heating devices in garages and other small buildings on your property and make sure only required heaters are active.
- Vacuum baseboard heater fins at least once a year.
- Keep baseboard heaters free from obstructions like furniture.
- Check cooler, unused rooms for signs of moisture and mould regularly
Easy, Low Cost
- Install a programmable thermostat to make setting back your heat while sleeping or away easier for consistent energy savings. For every 3°C lower, you could save 6% on your electric heating costs (an average of $68/yr).
- Use plastic window kits to increase the energy performance of your windows.
- Make sure to shut the damper and glass doors of your open-hearth fireplace once the fire is out.
- Use a portable space heater to heat the room(s) you spend your time in while setting your central furnace to a lower setting. Never leave a portable heater plugged in while not required or unattended.
- Keep your central heating system in tip top shape by having it checked by a certified service professional at least once per year.
- Change your central furnace filters regularly, especially if you burn wood.
Mid-Range
- Caulk and weather strip around drafty doors and windows.
- Seal and insulate your attic hatch.
- Seal and insulate your unused open-hearth fireplace.
Investment
- Damp-proof and insulate your basement, an uninsulated basement can account for 25% of the heat loss in a house.
- Buy ENERGY STAR® qualified windows and doors.
Cooling Tips
Summer Cooling
