Clinton News-Record, 1984-04-25, Page 63}
Going off oil - consider all the alternatives
Record low temperatures were recorded
throughout the . country last winter. And
while the mercury continued to plummet,
many Canadians found their oil bills going
through the roof.
To avoid paying those higher monthly
bills many Canadians are going off -oil.
They're converting their existing oil heating
units to alternative systems.
Canada has decreased its dependence on
foreign oil, but domestic oil prices are near-
ly as high as world prices. Consequently, by
going off -oil, Canadians can save money by
using a less costly fuel such as electricity,
natural gas or wood. By converting to one of
these alternatives you could save between
20 and 40 per centof home heating costs over
the next 15 years. This figure even includes
the cost of conversion.
Of course before anyone considers going
off -oil, they should be sure they aren't
wasting the heat they already have. Here
are seven ways to make your home energy
efficient:
- turn ,down the thermostat at night and
when no one is at home;
seal air leaks around windows, doors and
baseboards;
- weatherstrip doors, windows and elec-
trical outlets;
- insulate your attic;
- insulate basement walls;
- add storm windows and doors; and
- have your furnace tuned yearly by a
qualified technician.
Once you've taken these precautions to
use your existing heat efficiently, you may
want to further reduce or eliminate your oil
Compare operating costs
"EnerGuide" labels on most new
household appliances tell consumers the
amount of electricity the appliance con-
sumes each. month, says Maxine Innes-
Holbrough, the home and family man!!ge-
ment specialist with the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food's rural organizations
and services branch. This label helps con-
sumers calculate how much the appliance
costs to operate.
The federal government requires all new
household tumbl ctpy e. clothes dryers,
ranges, clothes Washers, dishwashers,
refrigerators and freezers to display the
"Ener -Guide" label.
Each model is tested and given a label in
accordance with methods approved by
Canadian Standards Associations (CSA)
steering committee and verified by CSA.
The "EnerGuide" label states the
kilowatt- hours per month(k .bi onth)__..•
energy consumption of each model.. •
This rating shows. how much power is
needed to operate the appliance.
The following formula is used to calculate
the total energy cost of the model over a 10
. year period: total cost of electricity equals
- kWh -per -month x centsper kWh x 12months
-
x 10 years divided by 100. •
For example, if the cost per kWh is four
cents, then the total cost of electricity is: 123
x 4 x 12 x 10 divided by 100 or $590.40 for 10
years. •
If the label has 175 kWh, instead of
123kWh,, then the cost would be $840 to
operate the appliance for 10 years.
Both examples assume the cost of elec-
trical energy remains constant over the 10
year period.
The appliance using 123 kWh per month
costs $249.60 less in 10 years than the ap-
pliance which consumes 175 kWh per month.
This example demonstrates the potential
for substantial dollar savings for you and.
energy savings for Canada.
When selecting your appliance, energy
consumption comparison is not your only
consideration; however, low energy-
consuming appliances could save ypu
and ener
money gy•
consumption. This may mean supplemen-
ting your existing oil heating system with
another system or converting completely to
another fuel.
Alternative sources include electricity,
natural gas, and, in rural areas, wood.
Although solar power may become an im-
portant source of energy in the future, it is
too expensive at present to be considered an
attractive alternative to oil.
If you are considering electricity as a
replacement for oil, you have several op-
tions from which to choose.
Electric baseboard heaters can supple-
ment or entirely replace an oil -fired heating
system. Baseboard heaters are silent, have
virtually no maintenance costs, and allow
for the installation of separate thermostats
in each room. They also allow you to heat
rooms that are used regularly while reduc-
ing the temperature in the rest of the house:
An electric plenum heater can be installed
in the warm -air plenum of your existing oil
furnace. This addition will use the present
duct -work and blower, and once it has been.
installed the oil furnace will operate only
during very cold periods.
If you are thinking of switching to natural
gas, you can replace your oil burner with a
gas conversion burner. Not all oil furnaces
can be economically converted to a gas
burner so you might also consider installing
Page 1,
a new gas furnace or boiler.
You may also consider other options. An
add-on heat pump reduces your oil con-
sumption by extracting heat from outside
air and bringing it inside. An all -electric
heat pump replaces oil entirely and pro-
vides full heating and cooling throughout the
year. A condensing gas furnace or boiler
uses 30 to 40 per cent less fuel than an or-
dinary gas furnace or boiler, and can often
be run on propane.
For those people considering switching to
a wood heating system, a woodstove can cut
oil consumption by more than 50 per cent.
As well, a manually fed wood furnace or
boiler or a self-feeding wood chip or pellet
furnace can replace an existing oil furnace.
Systems such as wood/oil or wood/electric
furnaces can provide substantial savings
and eliminate the risk of frozen water lines
faced by homeowners with entirely manual
systems.
When considering an alternative heating
system you should also be aware of the
financial assistance offered by the federal
government, Ontario Hydro, and the gas
utilities.
The Canada Oil Substitution Program
(COSP) provides taxable grants of up to
$800 to people to_eut their oil use 50 per cent
or more by installing an alternative heating
system.
Introduction to
planting seeds,
Men and women have been planting
garden seeds for thousands of years with
varying degrees of success. You could
divide the contents of a seed packet among
six gardeners and no two of them would get
the same number of seedlings to come up.
The difference in success has nothing to
do with a green thumb or the lack of it, The
secret is partly in learning to think of
garden seeds as either large, small, or fine.
Peas, beans, corn, sunflowers and zinnias
have large seeds. You may be able to name
several more. Large seeds carry a generous
reserve of food stored in their tissue. They
sprout rapidly and show strength and en-
durance in breaking through the soil.
Small seeds vary greatly between kinds,
in speed of sprouting, size of the emerging
seedlings, and the speed at which the seedl-
ings grow. Some small seeds such as
parsley can take three weeks to sprout and
another month to grow into plants as large
as a half dollar. Others, such as cabbage,
will sprout in four days and can grow into
six-inch plants within a month.
Fine seeds should be started indoors and
grown • into good-sized plants for
transplanting to , the garden. These tiny
seeds grow into seedlings that may be no
larger in diameter than a dime at the end of
a month.
Outdoor planting of fine seeds requires ex-
perience, finesse and luck. Fine seeds can
be buried or washed away by rains, or killed
by dryness when sprouting.
All work Performed by a
LICENSED MECHANIC
FORMERLY SIMMS LAWN IL
PHONE:
524-9538
Electrical Problems?
Can
ED'S
ELECTRIC
Licensed Electrician
INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL /RESIDENTIAL
24 Hour Emergency Service
Electric Heating
R.R No. 1 - CLINTON
ED ROOSEBOOM
48207441
LAWN SEED
REQUIREMENTS
*No. 1 Front Lawn
mixture
*Kentucky Bluegrass
*Creeping Red
Fescue
LONDESBORO
SEED PLANT
Robert Shaddick
523-4399
SPRING CARPET
CLEANING SPECIAL
Any 2 rooms and a hall
regardless of size
X44 .95
CALL: ACLEANIING T
524-7795.
Seal out weather with
A SOUND ROOF!
QUALITY
MATERIALS
DALE'S
STUMP CUTTING AND
REMOVAL. SERVICE
BLYTH, ONTARIO
•Fully Insured
•All work guaranteed
PHONE LES DALE
523-9415
Screened
Top -Soil
FOR LAWNS, GARDENS,
FLOWERBEDS. DELIVERED
AS THE WEATHER PERMITS.
—ALSO—
GRAVEL & CRUSHED STONE
Lyle Montgomery
PHONE 482-7644 EVENINGS
Spring Clean
your carpets with
out gentle such.
PROTECT YOUR
INVESTMENT IN
CARPETING WITH
ROTOSTATIC—THE GENTLE
CARPET CLEANING
SYSTEM—WE
GUARANTEE IN WRITING
NO SHRINKAGE, NO
SPLIT SEAMS—NO STICKY
RESIDUES. DRIES WITHIN
1-2 HOURS.
EXPERT INSTALLATION
NO JOB TOO BIG OR SMALL
ROOFING
REPAIRS • REBUILD
CALL 524-9089
FOR A
ESTIMATE.
You'll be pleased wish our Top
Quality Workmanship and Low Com-
petitive Prices.
ALVIN'S TV
SALES IL SERVICE
162 MARY ST. GODERICH
PROFESSIONAL HIGH QUALITY
CARPET & UPHOLSTERY. CLEANING
AT REASONABLE PRICES
RECOMMENDED 811 MAJOR CARPET MANUFACTURERS
NORHOLME DECORATING CENTRE
54 KING ST., CLINTON
482-3528