HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-05-10, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2000.
Home & Garden 2000
Home improvements save money, add value
If you're like most Canadians,
your home is the biggest
investment you'll ever make.
You've got to protect that
investment. Spring is when
Canadians love to take on home
improvement projects. Which is
why Ontario's leading energy
supplier and retail services
company is passing along these
energy-wise householder hints for
the annual spring spruceup.
"Purely cosmetic home
improvements do add value, but
not as much as ones that also
improve energy efficiency.
Besides, by saving on energy costs,
improvements can end up paying
for themselves," says Bob
Huggard, vice president of retail
services at Consumers Gas.
It's good business sense to keep
updating your house so that it
remains competitive with newer
homes. It's common sense, too.
"Even if you never sell your home,
it's where you spend two-thirds of
your life - more if you work at
home. So you might as well enjoy
it!" says Huggard. "Most homes
don't improve with age. Al least not
on their own."
Update your house
So let spring fever run its course.
Remodel. Renovate. But spend
each dollar wisely. Don’t just put in
a new front door, buy one that's
energy-wise. Install dimmer
switches and waler-saving fixtures
when you remodel kitchens and
bathrooms.
And get someone to clean out the
dust that's been clogging your
ductwork. Spring's the perfect lime
to get into gear.
Energy-saving householder tips
for spring
"Of all the rooms in a house,
kitchens and bathrooms are the
worst villains when it comes to
energy consumption," says
Huggard. "It really pays to install
new energy-efficient appliances,
energy-smart lighting, and devices
that conserve water." For example:
• Install an inexpensive low-flow
aerator nozzle on your kitchen
faucet. You'll cut hot water flow
by as much as 50 per cent.
• Buy a new fridge. In the most
popular size range, today's
energy-efficient refrigerators use
more than one-third less energy
than the ones of 25 years ago.
Energy-wise tips for the
bathroom:
• Install an aerator on your sink
Decks need sun protection
Sun protection isn’t just for
people. It’s for your wooden deck
and fencing, too.
In fact, sun is a major cause of
damage to outdoor wood. While
many people worry about the
damage moisture can cause, they
often don’t think about the effects
of the sun. The sun’s UV rays fade
and prematurely age wood.
Sunlight breaks down the glue
that holds wood fibers together,
leaving a thin gray matte on the
wood’s surface. “It is in fact, the
sun that causes wood to turn gray,”
says expert Pat Coughlin. “It can
also cause the wood to dry out very
quickly forming cracks and splits.”
The truth is you need to protect
your outdoor wood from sun and
moisture.
Penetrating oil finishes which
contain ultraviolet inhibitors
protect wood from both sun and
rain. Unlike a sealer, they penetrate
into the wood instead of sitting on
the surface, and protect without
cracking, peeling or flaking.
Many think pressure treated
wood is already protected from the
elements. While pressure treating
protects against rot and insects, it
does not protect the wood from sun
and moisture damage. A protective
finish is necessary.
Most decks need to be protected
with a penetrating oil finish every
other year, and routine cleaning is a
good idea too each year. Just as you
wouldn’t wax a dirty car, clean the
deck before a’pplying a finish every
time.
- News Canada
faucet and a low flow shower
head to cut water flow in half.
And don’t leave the water running
while you shave or brush your
teeth. That can add up to several
more tubfuls of water over the
course of each month.
• Use venting fans as little as
possible; this will keep your heat
inside your home.
Exterior doors: you're not the
only thing they let in
Doors that aren't insulated or that
let in drafts contribute to a home's
energy loss. With the weather
getting warmer, those drafty winter
nights may already be fading from
memory, but if you don't do
something about them now, they'll
be back in the fall.
• If your door has a mail slot, seal
it off with caulking and some
weatherproof insulating material
cut to fit in the slot itself.
(Polystyrene foam works well.)
• Replace the sill under the door
with a new threshold seal or
attach a door sweep to the bottom
of the door itself. It can wear
down with traffic.
Be window-wise
"You’d be amazed by how much
energy can fly out a window, even
when it's closed," says Huggard. In
winter, much of your home's heat
loss can result from improperly
installed or poorly insulated
windows. And in summer,
unshaded windows tend to magnify
heat, causing cooling systems to
work overtime.
This can easily be fixed:
• Replace windowpanes with
double-glazed, "low-E" glass
filled with argon gas to boost their
insulation value and eliminate
condensation problems.
• Make sure that every window
-especially those facing south and
west - has blinds, lined drapes or
other light-blocking coverings that
can be drawn to keep rooms
cooler in summer.
Dust out your ducts If you want
to breathe easy
The average Canadian home
accumulates approximately 20
kilograms of dust a year. Up to 40
per cent of that dust winds up
trapped in your home's duct
system, reducing the quality of air
your family breathes and forcing
your furnace - and air conditioning
system - to work harder, wasting a
lot of energy. It's important to have
a professional thoroughly clean out
the dust.
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Minwax and exterior paints & wood stains
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