Lakeshore Advance, 2012-10-17, Page 7Wednesday, November 2, 2011 • Lakeshore Advance 17
Make your home "physically fit" and reduce energy costs
News Canada
Your home's energy costs can drain your
hard-earned dollars, It's a simple scientific
fact: heat moves towards cold. In winter
months, it's drawn to the cold glass of windows
to escape a home. Heat lost this way accounts
for 10 to 25 percent of heating bills. Thankfully
innovations from Hunter Douglas, Canada's
leading manufacturer of custom window fash-
ions and a pioneer in energy efficiency at the
window, may help provide you with savings.
Sue Rainville, the company's marketing
director, offers the following easy tips to make
your home physically fit for the winter cold:
Weatherise - Seal up holes, weather-strip
doors and insulate attic floors. When the fire-
place is not in use, keep the damper closed
tightlY•
Insulate - Don't Just insulate the attic. Add
insulation at the window with window fash-
ions that have high energy ratings.
Duette Architella honeycomb shades pro-
vide superior energy efficiency. They have a
patented construction consisting of a honey-
comb nestled within a honeycomb. 'Ibis cre-
ates three honeycomb pockets to trap the air.
Certain Duette Architella shades can reduce
heat loss through windows by up to 40 percent
in winter.
Improve and Maintain Your Mechanical
Systems - Service and clean your gas or oil fur-
nace at least once a year and change or clean
furnace filters once a month during the heat-
ing season. And, invest in a programmable
thermostat that lets you set temperatures for
different times of the day. Studies have shown
that turning the heat
down from 22 to 18 degrees C (72 to 65
degrees F) for at least eight hours a day can
reduce heating bills by 10 percent.
The popular notion that the higher you set
your heater's thennostat, the faster your home
will warm up is not true. In reality, it takes the
same amount of time for the temperature to
reach 21 degrees C (70 degrees F)) whether the
thermostat is set at 21 or 32 degrees (70 or 90
F). Setting the thermostat all the way up only
increases your heating costs.
Also, remove air-conditioning units in the
fall and winter because they invite drafts. Or,
use an insulated jacket on the exterior.
Watch Your Windows - In winter, on the
rare sunny day, open your window coverings
to let in the solar heat, but be sure to close
them at night. Hunter Douglas makes a solar
energy sensor that can be mounted directly to
Consider downsizing in retirement
News Canada
The first wave of baby boomers will turn 65 this year but many
may not be ready for retirement. A recent poll from CIBC reveals
that nearly half (46 per cent) of our country's baby boomers still
carry a mortgage and 75 per cent still carry additional debt.
The Ontario Real Estate Association (UREA) advises that
downsizing to a smaller living space can help reduce mortgage
debt and could also offer other lifestyle benefits. Smaller houses
and condominiums can require less maintenance and leave
more free time to enjoy living.
"The decision to move from the family home to a smaller
house, townhouse or condo is becoming more popular," said
Barbara Sukkau, president of ORF.A. "Homeowners should take
the time to consider what they can afford, what kind of lifestyle
they want to have and what type of home they'd like to live in"
Sukkau offers the following advice:
• Consider your debt: How much do you owe on your mort-
gage and how can downsizing help you to pay this off much
� faster? Figure out how much of your debt you can pay off by
looking at the principal owing compared to costs related to
selling. Then take Into account other housing costs related to
your new space such as reduced property taxes and utility
• Handyman • Repairs
• Renovations • Carpentry
• Honey Do Lists
BOB DIETRICH
14 Box 123, 12 Mary St. del
Zurich, Ont. NOM 2T0
519-236-4989 (Please leave a message)
"No Job is Too Small"
fees to get a clearer picture. Remember, condos also have
maintenance fees that can rise over time if the building
doesn't have a suffident reserve fund in place.
■ Consider your current lifestyle: How many rooms do you
need? How long will the kids still be living at home? How
often do you have overnight guests? How much stuff can you
get rid of? It's important to consider what you're willing to
give up in return for a downsized space, including whether or
not you still plan to host family holidays.
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the window pane to control motorized win-
dow fashions. In 'winter' node, the sensor
raises shades at the appropriate instance to
allow solar energy into the room for warmth.
Keep the Air Circulating - In winter, don't
block floor registers, baseboards or radiators
with Hugs, furniture or other items. If you have
ceiling fans with a reverse setting, turn them
on low and reverse when using a lot of heat.
Waren air rises and often gets trapped near the
ceiling; the reverse air flow from the fan will
help circulate the warm air around the entire
room.
Remember, a physically fit horse is the best
way to keep those energy bills in check.
More information is available online at
www.hunterdouglas.ca or toll-free at 1-800-
265-8000.
www.newscanada.com.
■ Consider your future lifestyle: 1)o you have plans to travel
after retirement? Is deteriorating health an issue? Perhaps a
single -level house like a bungalow or a low maintenance
space like an apartment would suit your future needs.
With proper planning, downsizing can get you the lifestyle and
home that you want. Visit howrealtorshelp.ca to help you when
you decide.
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