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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-11-19, Page 33• Energy quiz answers Answers the house. The heat you might save is not 1. a)-4; b)-3; c1-2; d)-5; e)-1 (Score 1 worth the excessive moisture the dryer point for each correct match.) would add to the air in your home. 2. c) : After space -heating costs, water e) True. Oil-based paint or vapour barrier heating accounts for the largest portion of paint can help prevent some moisture your energy consumption. In fact, water movement into the attic space. However, heating uses more energy than all of your careful sealing of air leaks into the attic lights and appliances combined. space is even more important. 3. b) : You should have your heating f) True. The sill plate e should be one of your - system serviced every year prior to the trop air -sealing priorities. heating season. (This work could be done g) False. Some caulking fmaterials iter outside. during the summer, but having it done safe or appropriate only hce. before the heating season ensurs that you Others are designed for special applica- have not forgotten it.) Annual servicing is tions, such as in areas subject to high the best way to ensure safe and efficient moisture levels. Some materials dry clear operation of the system. and others can be painted over after they 4. c) : The first step to take in trying to dry. It is always best to judiciously choose reduce a condensation problem is to con- as many materials as required for the ap- trol the amount of moisture produced in . plications you have, planned. Inexpensive your house. This includes everything from caulking materials may not be very cooking with lids on, to avoiding hanging durable or effective. wet clothes to dry indoors. Mechanical h) False. Heat moves in any direction — dehumidifiers cannot reduce the humidity up, down or sideways — as long as it's levels in your house sufficiently in the moving from a warm spot to a colder one. winter to eliminate condensation pro- Attic insulation will help improve the blems. Charcoal -type fans filter odours but energy efficiency of your home but by do nothing to remove excess moisture itself will not make your home energy eft from the air. Opening windows can help cient. Other measures, such as corn - remove condensation but this isn't a prac- prehensive draftproofing and basement tical solution because of the vast amount of wall insulation, also warrant serious w wastes. consideration. airit • ,install a heated difficult to the i)True. Since it's very • Fireplaces can enhance 5. a). P esthetics of a room tremendously. continuous air -vapour barrier in an attic However, they cannot serve as effective that is already insulated, this air -sealing primary or supplementary heat sources method may work just as effectively. and often cause the primary heating j) False. Earth crawl spaces should system to work harder than if the fireplace always be covered with a vapour barrier. wasn't operating. Otherwise, moisture the earth releases M- 6. a) : Naturally, a furnace filter should to the air will make its way into the living be cleaned or replaced whenever it is dir- space of the home, where it can lead to ty. It is a good idea to check the filter at condensation problems. least once a month during the heating k) False. Do not immediately assume that season. This will help the furnace deliver drafty old windows need to be replaced. In heated air to all the rooms in your house. many cases, thorough weatherstripping, 7. d) : Concrete basement walls with caulking and the use of storm windows will moisture problems should be insulated on- do the job much less expensively. Windows ly after the problem as been eliminated should only be replaced if they are in such and the wall thoroughly dampproofed. poor repair that effective air sealing is 8. a)-2; b)-4; c)-1; d)-3 (Score one point impossible. ' 1) True. Small energy-saving measures like changing from incandescent to fluorescent fixtures can really add up. m) True. And the reverse is also true: for each degree you set your thermostat below 20 degrees C on a 24-hour basis, fuel con- sumption will drop by about 5 per cent. Now,'total up your results and see how you rate. If you have a score of •'21 to 29 points: Congratulations, you are an energy whiz. You're probably already enjoying the many benefits of an energy - for each correct match.) 9. e) : If untreated, large amounts of con- densation can result in all of these problems. 10. Score one point foreach correct answer. a) False. The thermal resistance of insula- tion is not based solely on its thickness. It is measured in RSI (metric) or R ( imperial). The higher the RSI.or Rvalue, the better the material insulates. In som ine cases, two millimetres of one typeof sulatien can have a lower thermal efficient home. You have a resistance value than one millimetre of i • 15 to 20 points: Pretty good.conservation anotherenenergyconsery 0 f many good grasp g g A a material.brush want to but you may up , b) False. No single conservation measure principles,effi- will always be most appropriate in every bit to ensure your house is as energy case. Assess the air leakage in your home, cient as possible. existing levels of insulation and the condi- • 10 to 14 points: Nice try. You know a little tion of the heating system before beginn- about home energy conservation but you ing an energy conservation program. have a lot to learn. c) False. The rule of thumb is to seal from • 9 points or less. You lose. And so does the inside of the house. This prevents your home and pocketbook. But it's not too moisture from being trapped in the wall late. Start 3 ration rovinpry urpk owl d edge of cavities and attics. The purpose of sealing energy from the outside is to prevent rain or snow tices today and soon you too can enjoy a from entering the wall cavity. more comfortable home with lower energy d) False. Never vent a clothes dryer into costs. CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1986—Page 5B e aid flow Ten easy steps to effective home energy Whether heating your home, your hot water, codking your meals, drying your clothes, or at a back yard barbecue, nothing can match Call us today and find out more about the fuel of tomorrow! the speed, flexibility and efficiency of P 1. Turn down the thermostat. This simple, no -cost measure can dramatically lower your heating bills. For each degree you set the thermostat below 20 degrees C on a 24-hour basis, fuel con- sumption will drop about 5 per cent. If you have a hectic schedule, you might want to purchase an automatic setback ther- mostat to ensure that temperature settings are made routinely. 2. Determine where your house is losing heat. Check for air leaks in exterior walls and around doors and windows. Draw a feather, tissue or smoke pencil around the area you're checking; if the material flut- ters, you've found an air leak. Also, check the level and condition of insulation in frame and basement walls, crawl spaces and attics. Determine whether an air - vapour barrier is installed on the warm side of the insulation. 3. Seal all air leaks. Once you've located air leaks, take whatever steps are necessary to seal them. Use caulking for nonmoving joints and weatherstripping for moving joints: 4. install or upgrade insulation. All areas of your house should be insulated to recommended minimum values. The cost savings that result from adding in- sulation will depend largely on how much insulation is already in place. The priority should be on upgrading areas that have the least insulation. However, some areas are . easier and less costly to upgrade.• 5. Install storm doors and windows. Storm doors and windows help reduce heat loss by resisting wind infiltration and pro- viding extra thermal 'resistance. As an alternative to conventional exterior storm windows, you can purchase special kits for installing a temporary plastic sheet over the interior of windows and patio doors. 6. Test the efficiency of your heating system. A furnace efficiency test can usually be in- cluded in your service technician's annual maintenance call. Regular servicing is essential to the ongoing safe and efficient operation of a fuel -burning heating system. tuned up, 7. Have your heating system upgraded or replaced. Your JUl/tdl:e ieunii :tan can ath,1Dl: you on what steps are necessary to improve the efficiency of your heating system. In ex- treme cases, you may have to p rchase a new unit. If so, make sure you c nsider ef- ficiency when comparing ifferent models. 8. Control moisture production in the winter. Avoid condensation problems by controll- ing and limiting moisture -producing ac- tivities in your house. For exarhple, use, your dishwasher only for full leads and don't hang wet clothes to dry indpors. 9. Increase ventilation where and when necessary. • Extreme condensation• or air quality pro- blems may call for increased ventilation — but only after all other remedies have fail- ed. Increase ventilation only enough to rectify the problem. 10. Use energy wisely. This is the last point ort,the list but, it is also one of the most important. Prudent use of heating and cooling systems, hat water, appliances and lights can pay off in major energy savings. - Doors not properly sealed can allow a lot of cold air into your home Drafty doorways affecting the comfort of your home? ' Doors that are not well sealed and in- sulated will allow a lot of cold air into your house and have a noticeable effect on your heating bill. ro er1 installed weatherstripping In any doorwawiill make a big dif- ference. You should look for a product that is strong, secure and resilient. It should also be easy to replace, since it will be under a lot of stress from opening and closing the door. should have to When closing the door, you pull it to get it latched. This indicates a pressure seal that will stop air leakage. Where possible, the tops and sides of any door frame should be weatherstripped so an effective seal, but the key is to check that it makes contact With the edch move- ge he door regularly nt within the house structure, because there is so uas well as shouldd warp. The V-shaped compressible from the movement of the door. in ityou should door should be checked often, because it will have to be adjusted occasionally to match the warping of the door. It is very important to weatherstrip the threshold of the door because this is fre- quently the location of serious drafts. This can be achieved with weatherstripping at- tached to the threshold or to the bottom of the door. If the weatherstripping is attached direct- ly to the top of the doorsill, it must be very durable to withstand heavy use. Remember to check for clearance - the door may have to be trimmed to accommodate it. Interlocking weatherstripping provides an excellent seal but is difficult to install. Any number of other materials will provide door provide a good seal even 1 metal or vinyl weatherstripping is best. If your door has glass , with any other window. IMublle glazing window. Doublle glazing should be used with adequate caulking around the edges. Since patio doors are usually used only as windows in the winter, they Should be thoroughly sealed with weatherst ipping or duct tape. North -facing patio doe are pro- bably the best. place to start if yo are con- sidering insulated blinds or shutt s. Storm doors provide an extra 1yer of in- sulation from the cold and can be valuable energy conservation measure. hey are fairly inexpensive and their installation is not complicated. Vestibules form an airlock that can significantly reduce energy loss' through doorways. A closed porch, garage or specially constructed entranceway can ,lower heat loss when doors are opened. If your home does not already have one, you should consider constructing a Vestibule entranceway when home renovations are against the face of the take the same precautions as you would planned. Weatherstripping :>:a:::;<:>:r;;:is GET IT DONE RIGHT WITH CLINTON GLASS AND FELDMANN W IND OW S Remodel ..• repair ... or plan new construction with energy saving in mind! SEE OUR SHOWROOM DISPLAYS OF WINDOWS Spurlin PROPANE CO. L HWY. 4 SOUTH, BLYTH, ONT. (519) _523-4256 "WE'VE BEEN MAKING WARM FRIENDS FOR OVER 35 YEARS THE PULSE 'LENNOX Heating i Air Conditioning CASEMENT Casement windows can be custom- made to your exact specifications. We're. proud to facture windows by Feldmann ..- over 35 yearn of quality windows made in Ontario. Aluminum -clad wood windows with a Duracron enamel finish. 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