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Weatherproof your house to save cash

Space heating is highest cost for Whistlerites
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The concept of "room temperature" is not set in stone. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers puts it at 21.1 degrees Celsius. The U.K.-based West Midlands Public Health Observatory suggests a balmy living room temperature of 22C and a cooler bedroom temperature of 18C.

Depending on the building and its purpose, room temperature varies from 18 to 23C, but a lot of the time it comes down to personal preference. Some like to wear t-shirts and shorts around the house during the winter, others like to wrap themselves in Snuggies in front of the television.

Whatever temperature you prefer, consider that heating space is the biggest single cost for the average Whistler home at $750 per year — almost 40 per cent of total electric/gas costs.

According to Ted Battiston, the manager of community energy and emission reductions, the average Whistler home spent $2,000 per year on electricity in 2010 — a number that could rise by roughly $340 annually as a result of BC Hydro price increases.

BC Hydro originally applied to raise rates 32 per cent over three years, but in November reduced the increase to 17 per cent. Residential rates already increased eight per cent this year, and will increase roughly four per cent in March 2012 and again in March 2013.

Given that space heating is the number one expense, it's also the area where people can experience the biggest savings.

One of the simplest solutions available involves installing programmable thermostats to better regulate heat, letting rooms cool down during the day and during sleep hours. According to BC Hydro, the thermostats range from $25 to $100 each (or $250 if you opt for the super cool Nest "learning" systems at www.nest.com), and can pay for themselves within a matter of months. It's estimated that you can immediately cut about 10 per cent or $200 from your total hydro bill.

If you turn down the heat by just two degrees you can reduce home heating costs by five per cent. If you lower your temperature to 16 degrees overnight, say 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., you can cut your heating costs another 10 per cent.

But while taking more care with the way you heat your home will help you save, you can reduce your heating costs further by doing some draft-proofing around your doors, windows, outlets, attic, vents and other areas that contact the outside world. Some outside air circulation is necessary to prevent mold and moisture issues — and vents are written into the building code — but a company called Utah Energy Audit discovered that outside air infiltration is three to four times higher than it needs to be because of leakages.

So where do you start?

BC Hydro recommends picking up some incense sticks and taking a walk around your home. Move the stick around doors and windows, electrical outlets, floor drains, corners where two outside walls meet, baseboards and ceilings of outside walls, doors and hatches to unheated spaces (such as store rooms, attics and crawlspaces), around plumbing, ductwork and wires. Large air leakages will cause the incense stick to glow and small leaks will move the smoke.

Once you've identified any leakages, every leakage has a unique solution available.

Leaks around windows and doorframes can be repaired with a caulking gun and a $4 tube of caulking or sealant in many cases. If you have a single or double pane window or sliding glass door then you might want to consider buying some window insulator kits.

If a leak is substantial you may need to invest in some foam weather stripping. In some cases you'll need to replace the door seal around an outside door, or the sweep that is attached to the bottom of the door itself. If there's a sizable gap anywhere, such as under the siding of your house or around an outlet, you might need to plug it with spray foam insulation.

If the draft is coming in through a switch or power outlet you can purchase insulator gasket kits for most configurations, or can rig your own solution with some insulation and caulking. Child safety plugs are also cheap and can prevent air coming in from an outlet.

If your home is older or has serious issues, it might be good to hire someone to conduct an energy audit of your home with thermal imaging to reveal where the hot air is getting out and cold air is getting in. You might need to invest in some insulation for your attic and walls, a new ventilation system, a new heating system, a heat pump, new siding, new windows and doors, repairs to your foundation or a combination of these options to draft-proof your home. In some cases there are rebates and government incentives to retrofitting your home.

If you have issues with condensation you can mitigate mold issues by sealing your home, keeping your vents cleared, ensuring the hose on your clothes drier is snugly fitted, using oven vents when you cook and bathroom vents when you shower, installing a dehumidifier to take moisture from the air, installing a dehumidistat to run exhaust fans when humidity levels creep up. Getting triple-pained Energy Star windows can also make a big difference as the inside sheet of glass typically doesn't get cold enough to allow condensation to build.

For more tips on weather-proofing your home, visit www.bchydro.com.

This is the fourth column in a Pique series called Power to the People. Previous articles can be found online at www.piquenewsmagzine.com.