The Canadian National Newspaper: Beat your energy bills with simple home renovations

NC-According to the Canadian Gas Association (CGA), the average home will face an approximate 10 per cent rise in the cost of heating this winter. If you're feeling helpless because of today's rising energy costs, battle your energy bills by being proactive in your own home. There's no better time than the present to explore some inexpensive renovations to help improve the energy efficiency of your home and decrease your carbon footprint.

"People often think of renovations as a gigantic undertaking, but sometimes the little projects are those that can make a big difference, especially to the energy efficiency of your home," says David Flood, Insulation Expert, Owens Corning. "Home renovations aren't always glamorous or visible. For example, the benefits of an attic insulation upgrade aren't physically seen in the attic, and instead seen on your monthly heating bill." Here are a few inexpensive, energy-saving changes that you can implement today to help conserve energy in your home:

Your home may be one of the 7,000,000 Canadian homes with an inadequately insulated attic. Create a thermal barrier in your attic by installing PINK FIBERGLAS batt insulation to help prevent hot air from escaping through your roof, keeping your thermostat under control. Upgrade your attic insulation up to 15 inches - a value of R-50 - and you may qualify for a government retrofit rebate of up to $600. Check out the Natural Resources Canada website to learn more at www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca.

The next step may be to purchase a programmable thermostat to regulate temperatures at different times of the day.

Install low-flow faucets and shower heads to conserve your home's water consumption at a fairly inexpensive cost.

To learn more about saving energy by upgrading the attic insulation in your home, check out, LINK.

Make comments about this article in The Canadian Blog.

Become a Member:

Would you like to see other similar articles and critical commentaries in The Canadian National Newspaper? Then, show your support. Make a member-pledge donation, in support of the Membership Drive of the Pro-Democracy Media Foundation.

The Canadian can only continue to publish investigative articles in such areas, with the donations from members of the public in Canada, the U.S., and abroad. Consider making a donation of $50.00, $75.00, $100.00, $200.00 or more. Donors are eligible to receive our first collector's print edition in mail. Alternatively, you can send us a note to be placed on our special email list of members. Member-donors can also suggest articles or commentaries to be published in The Canadian.

The Canadian is a socially progressive and not-for-profit national newspaper, with an international readership. We provide an alternative to the for-profit commercial focused media, which often censors vital information and perspective of potential interest to the diverse Canadian public, and other peoples internationally.