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Heating and Cooling

Heating Tips
No-cost
  • Lower your thermostat to 17°C while sleeping or when you are away.
  • When you're at home, try to keep the inside temperature below 20°C.
  • 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

 

Humidity – finding the right balance