The growing interest in Canada is to use energy resources that we can use efficiently. Problems such as a decrease in the supply of natural gas and electricity, air pollution, emission of greenhouse gases, etc. are leading to a rapidly rising problem. Even if you are a home owner owning a house or condominium or a tenant leasing a unit, such concerns will affect all energy consumers.
General energy and waste of water
Air Leak
The wind draft can enter the house through walls with cracks or holes, floors, windows, ceilings and doors. This can cause problems during the winter when your home is cold and dry, so that more heat is consumed to keep the desired temperature. Unpleasant families tend to cause problems with difficulties to hear. In the summer, your house is hot and sweaty. In the hot summer more A / C will be consumed to keep cooler temperatures. Both of these scenarios make your home more expensive and in fact lead to excessive energy consumption when not needed.
If there are cracks or holes in the dividing walls, floors and ceilings inside the house of your house, if you live in the building, air may flow through your house and other units.
Small gaps, smells, noise, cigarette smoke, pests, etc. may move to homes and neighboring apartments. Cooled air or warm air tends to move in unexpected ways, eventually leaving your home or building.
Reducing air leakage is important to get the optimum temperature and humidity at home and unit.
Ventilation, heating, air conditioning systems and maintenance
In order to minimize the energy consumption of the ventilation system, heating system, air conditioning system, the system must be operated efficiently at all times. This will reduce service and repair in the system. Save money!
Windows and doors
Use heat from the sun
During the winter, you can keep your home at the desired temperature by using solar heat.
o The blinds and curtains in the south, west, east facing windows have the largest amount of sunlight, so you can capture the most heat if left open.
o You can also close the radiator valve and lower the thermostat so that the heater does not operate during this time. When the sun stops shining in the room, please put the thermostat back.
o Close the blind with a curtain to keep your apartment's heat at night.
Closing the blinds and curtains may cause water to stick to the window in the form of condensation. This is a problem as the window frame and the surrounding surface may be wet and damaged. This may start growing the mold in the frame or surface of the window and threaten the health of the tenant. One good way to avoid this problem due to condensation is to wipe the water as soon as you see it on the window so that the curtain will not close for an extended period of time. Also, do not forget to run your kitchen and bathroom fans can help the situation Finally, if condensation problems continue at your window, open the curtain until the problem is resolved You can leave it as it is.
Keeping fever during the winter
Some people think that opening windows in the winter becomes cold. It is a smart way to adjust the temperature without using a heating system. But the fever that allows you to leave home is the heat you have paid! Also, as cold air comes in, the heater starts working harder. Please turn off your thermostat and wait for the temperature to be adjusted accordingly.
One problem that causes your home to become extra hot during the winter is overheating as the sun will come in certain rooms in your home. The best practice here is to close the drapes and blinds of the room being overheated. If you live in a building, you may share a central boiler. In that case, the management unit can warn the warm administrator. This gives the administrator detailed information on how to adjust the boiler control and how to adjust the heating system to control home heat.
Treatment of summer heat
The best way to keep your house cool during the summer of the year is to leave the blinds and curtains closed. During the day, the warm moist air entering the house through the open window may adversely affect your desired temperature. So, on a humid day, leaving the window closed can actually help. The cool air is more impressive early in the morning, evening, at night. Open the window in the meantime and it will help to reach the desired temperature.
Reduce air leakage
Window and door joint: DIY
Trim the adjacent wall and caulk the open joint between the window and the door frame.
Window and door weatherstrip gasket: DIY
Look at your windows and weather stripping gaskets and make sure they are in good condition and original condition. If the gasket is worn or welcomed, please replace the gasket. Indicators such as drafts, drapes, blinds, wind blows, etc. mean that there is a leakage problem in windows and doors.
What to remember before starting air seal work:
· Confirm that you have the required permission from the building manager.
· To effectively hide the crimped seams with paint (if necessary), please purchase paintable latex crimp.
· When using a spray form, do not forget that the foam expands very quickly, damaging the nearby surface and it can lead to overall confusion.
Floor and wall
Reduce air leakage
Floor Baseboard Joint: DIY / Contractor
Examine the outer wall and floor joints and caulk visible cracks. You can do this only if you can secure the baseboard trim and wall safely on a rigid floor such as tile, concrete, wood. Because of this fact, it is always best practice to do these repairs during refurbishment.
If you need to remove and replace the baseboard or 1/4 round trim, you can caulk between the wall and the floor. If you decide to move forward with the baseboard or quarter round trip and floor join in front, you first need to paste the masking tape on the floor. It is well separated from the wall and crimped along the 3 mm (1/8 inch) wall-floor joint. After applying the coking, remove the tape and create a clean caulking joint.
Wire penetration: DIY / contractor
Look at the wire penetrations behind the electric base heater and make sure they are tightly sealed. To do this, you need to come and disconnect the power supply and temporarily remove the heating unit of the baseboard to get the contractor. In most cases, there is a hole in the outer wall where there is a wire useful for the heater. This hole can be foamed or crimped according to size. This is a great opportunity to clean and clean the dust and dirt behind the heating board of the baseboard or baseboard. This improves heat transfer.
Electric switch and outlet cover plate: DIY
Find the electric panel and turn off all envelopes planning work. Purchase a CSA approved air seal gasket and attach it behind the light switch and outlet cover plate, focusing on what is on the outer wall. The CSA-approved air seal gasket is designed to be used under the electrical cover plate and is installed in most hardware stores.
Insert the child safety plug into the envelope to stop the draft that may have a hole in the outlet.
Pipes, wires, ducts: DIY
Place the pipe behind the toilet under the wall, floor, bathroom and sink of the kitchen so that caulking and sealing are possible. You can also seal the penetration of pipe, duct and wiring in utility closet and other common space. To seal these areas, use caulking or spraying on the foam material. Tapes, rugs, substitutes such as fiber glass are not effective.
External vent and conduit penetration: DIY / contractor
Exhaust and air supply grill, piping penetration accessible from the balcony area, find the electric box (ceiling external light and plug) and caulk the surrounding opening. Also, make sure that the exhaust fan is turned off and make sure that the hinge damper on the external vent hood is completely closed.
To ensure your own safety, please do not access places that are not easily reachable from your balcony. Also, please consult the expert for such work.
Bathroom and kitchen
Ensure that the exhaust fan operates efficiently
Check your bathroom fans, range hood, range hood filter and check that their houses and grill covers are clean. If not, wipe them off. Also check the fan blades in the reach and check to see if it is clean without dust. In some buildings, the exhaust fans penetrate the outer wall of the unit (not through rooftop fans). To ensure your unit is designed this way and make it easy to access the outer hood of the balcony safely and easily, the fan is running and completely closed when the fan is off Make sure. When the damper is restricted to move freely, airflow is restricted, the fan runs long, consumes more energy and can properly ventilate the bathroom and kitchen.
The optimum situation is when the exhaust fan of the bath is long enough to remove moisture and odor, but does not require evacuated heated room air. To accomplish this, please ask the contractor to install a timer on the exhaust fan.
Reduce air leakage
Bathroom and exhaust fan: DIY
Check the position of the exhaust fan causing air leakage. Take some foil duct tape and seal or caulk the gap between the fan and the surrounding ceiling. This gap is easily seen and accessed by removing the ceiling grill of the exhaust fan. Finally, when you restore the ceiling grill, the sealed joints are hidden.
Some families have an exhaust grill connected to the central exhaust system in the bathroom. In this case, you can attach the exhaust duct to the surrounding wall by removing the grill. If this is impossible, seal at least the gap between the caulking that can be painted and the grill.
Around the bathtub: DIY
Caulking mold-resistant, paintable in your bathtub and caulking it with the surrounding enclosure on the wall adjacent to the ceiling. If you are renting, you may need to obtain permission from the building manager or owner.
Repair of leaked faucets and toilets
Let's take a look at this statistic: if your faucet drips at a rate of 1 drop per second, it will waste about 200 liters of water each week. That is the amount of wasted water without any just reason.
There is no problem in checking the location of the leaked faucet. Leaked toilets may be hard to find right now. It is easy to see if toilet flapper valve needs to be replaced. To check if you need to replace the valve, put a few drops of food coloring agent in the reservoir. Please sit at the bathroom for at least 30 minutes now and check the water color of the bowl. If the bowl's darkened water is visible, you need to replace the valve. Please do not color the tank and bowl by rinsing toxic water from the drain pipe after this check.
It is best to obtain a plumber or ask the building administrator to repair. But if you feel that you can repair it, fixing the leaked faucet or toilet is made up of a replacement flapper that fits the toilet manufacturer and model. Using an incompatible flapper may cause a leak.
Installation of low flow shower head and other water saving devices
To reduce the amount of water flowing through the showerhead anchor and faucet while maintaining acceptable water pressure, install a low flow showerhead and faucet aerator. They save water, help save money, and surely receive the same amount of water. While using soap or shampoo, you can easily stop water by installing an on-off valve. This custom helps save energy and soap with water.
Install a low flush toilet
Let's consider this fact: Most elderly toilets use 20 to 26 L per wash. A more modern toilet uses 6 L at a time to do the same work effectively. The important thing to note is that the toilet tends to become the largest water user in the home.
The best option is to install a double flush toilet, one to rinse liquid waste, or 6 liters of solid waste at a time. However, just by installing a low flushing model (6 L), you can save it immediately.
Lighting up
Use energy efficient lighting
To get high-quality, energy-efficient lighting, consider purchasing and using fluorescent tubes and energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFL). Fluorescent lamp life is 6 to 10 times longer, 75 to 80% more efficient than incandescent light bulb. You can purchase CFLS made with the same shape and size as traditional bulbs. You can also get them with different lighting levels and colors.
Energy and money saved on longer life, fluorescent lights, compact fluorescent lights are worth the extra money you have to pay, compared to purchasing incandescent lights.
ENERGY STAR is a label that you can look for when purchasing these types of products. Mercury is contained in the tube, so please make sure to dispose of the fluorescent lamp product in the proper way.
Home appliances
Use energy-efficient appliances
20% of the energy consumption of your home is home appliances, refrigerators and clothes dryers are most consumed. When exchanging or purchasing electronic equipment or new equipment, consider the price considering the energy consumption of the equipment as well. Also, while looking at EnerGuide labeling of large appliances, we look for ENERGY STAR evaluation of electronics, office products, small household appliances. In most cases, these labels provide information on the amount of energy consumed when the appliance is in use.
The front loading washing machine uses up to 40% less water and 60% less energy than the top roll loading machine. They also need less detergent. Finally, the front loading type washing machine can remove more water from the laundry, which reduces the clothing discharge time and reduces the dryer usage. This leads to more savings.
Keep refrigerator in good condition
Old refrigerators tend to consume more energy than necessary unless they watch accordingly. Several ways to maintain the refrigerator are as follows.
· Once a year, clean the evaporator coil under the refrigerator or on the backside of the refrigerator. You can always refer to the owner's manual.
· Make sure that the door is tightly closed against the gasket. If it is broken or dirty, you can clean the gasket with soap and water.
· When storing food in the refrigerator, please cool first.
· Always make sure that the door is properly closed and do not open for a long time.
· Avoid frosting more than 6 mm in the freezer, thawing the freezer and thawing the freezer to keep it in the best condition.
Efficient use of washing machine and dryer
1 - Reduce the number of loads
Fill the washing machine to save energy and water. When you arrange your laundry, please load completely and avoid overload of washing machine or dryer. Overload leads to clothes not being cleaned properly, which takes time to dry.
2 - use cold water for washing
Just when using cold water, please use detergent formulated for strictly cold water. Only truly dirty clothes need to be washed with hot water. If this is necessary, please separate laundry into hot water load and cold water load. This helps to reduce energy use of hot water.
3 - Group similar fabric types and dry them
Grouping similar fabric types before drying can help save energy. For example, a dry permanent press shirt can be dried at a lower dryer temperature.
4 - Air drying outdoors
You can save electricity over the long term by using drying rack to dry dry clothes on your balcony. Please do not let clothes dry indoors. It may cause moisture.
5 - Lint-free of clothes dryer
To reduce clothing drying time and energy usage, please clean the lint from the dryer filter after each loading. There is a serious fire hazard. Also, there may be another lint along the dryer duct. If you need to clean up this trap, please do so.
This may not be noticeable, but as the drying time gets longer, summer air conditioning conditions will also improve and electricity usage will increase. When turning on / off the hair dryer, please check that the dryer's ventilation damper is free of lint. This is done only when the dryer vent hood is visible and accessible. If the vent hood is clogged with lint, a duct cleaning company may be necessary.
Heating system
Cleaning and service of heating system
Fan Coil Unit: DIY / Contractor
When your fan coil filter is not clean, your system will work harder and will make your home more comfortable with more energy. Therefore, please check the fan coil filter and wipe off the accumulated debris.
Depending on the type of filter installed and the speed of contamination, it is necessary to replace or clean the filter every 1 to 3 months.
Use a vacuum to prevent dust from accumulating on air supply and return air grill. Grills with adjustable louvers must be open when cleaning.
This next step should be done by experts. Please obtain the coil of the fan coil unit cleaned and cleaned every year.
Please repair noise fan motors and water leaks.
Hot water / steam radiator and conveyor: DIY
Radiators need to be cleaned several times a year. If possible, please remove the radiator cover and then quietly clean the coil or heating element.
When coming around the radiator, they do not place furniture and heavy drape to block air movement in the room.
This tip is for a system with a thermostat zone valve that controls the heat output from the radiator. By resetting the thermostat and observing the temperature change of the radiator, it can be confirmed that the system is operating normally.
Furnace: DIY / contractor
Depending on the type of filters and the extent of contamination of the furnace installed, they may need to be replaced or cleaned every 1 to 3 months.
Use a vacuum to prevent dust from accumulating on air supply and return air grill. Grills with adjustable louvers must be open when cleaning.
If you have a noise fan motor, contact your service contractor or building manager.
In order to have a furnace in a good working sequence, it is offered every year.
Electric base board: DIY
Please make sure that the curtains and furniture do not block the electric base unit and the indoor air can freely move around it.
We recommend cleaning the electric baseboard heater at least on an annual basis. To do this, first disable the heater by turning off the light with the circuit breaker on the unit / home electrical panel. If possible, clean the fins under the cover panel. By evacuating the inside and the inside of the baseboard unit, accumulation of dust is prevented. Be careful not to damage electric parts and fins. After cleaning this cleanly, return the panel and turn on power to the heater.
If you want to check that the thermostat operates properly, set the thermostat, set it low, and listen to the click sound. Depending on the setting thermostat, the baseboard unit needs to be warmed up and cooled. If there is no change, contact your service contractor or building manager.
Restore thermostat
By lowering the thermostat, heating costs can be reduced. 20 degrees Celsius is a very comfortable temperature.
13 to 15.5 degrees Celsius is a good temperature to leave your house at night or away from home.
To be more comfortable and convenient, you can purchase and install a thermostat that can be programmed to raise the heat of the house when you happen in the morning, or when you return home from work. When you are not at home, the thermostat automatically falls and rises at pre-set time during the day and week. However, programmable thermostat functions correctly when used.
The number of people in the home, bathing, showering, washing, the amount of moisture resulting from cooking, the use of bathroom fans and kitchen range hood, and windows and adiabatic values are thermostatically backed. By using the bathroom fans and range hoods as efficiently as possible, you can maximize how far the thermostat can be returned.
Condensation may occur in the window if you lower the heat. If dew condensation lasts for a long time, water collects on the window glass, and an invisible space is created in the space of the outer wall and the roof. This will be amplified when you close the blinds and drapes at night. This can damage the surface, carpet, finish, drape and lead to mold growth. When returning the thermostat to the original always please pay attention to the surface of the window and the outer wall for condensation. Always beware of the mold. Condensation can be reduced by turning the thermostat to a warm temperature.
Air conditioning equipment
Purchase energy efficient air conditioners
A properly sized energy-efficient air conditioner will help save energy and money while keeping your house calm. There is an evaluation called energy efficiency evaluation (EER) of the air conditioner. Faced with higher costs, air conditioners with EER of at least 11 are the best type. This cost is covered and more savings are done as the amount of electricity used in these models is reduced. If you want less noise and better forming air conditioning, it is best to purchase one with high quality.
The air conditioning that the air conditioning capacity is too large does not operate properly, the house becomes cold and feels moist, it will use more energy and it will cost a lot of operation. When selecting air conditioners, small ones tend to run more efficiently and provide the necessary cooling for home.
Use your air conditioning efficiently
For AC systems, window mount units, or permanent through wall systems, the following tips will help reduce the power usage of the air conditioning:
If you are outside of your home, please raise the thermostat or turn off the AC system.
Clean and remove window climate filter every month
If there is a vent in the window mount or wall AC leading to "fresh air", close it and do not cool the outside air. Please only open the vent when your house is awkward.
Shading improves air conditioning efficiency in the home and reduces energy consumption. Therefore, in order to achieve this, please install the window air conditioner in the northward or shadowed window if possible.
Leave the curtains, windows and blinds closed to avoid heat and moisture.
We will install a ceiling fan to supplement the air conditioner or as an alternative to air conditioning. If you can find an ENERGY STAR rated ceiling fan, usually you will not use electricity, so please get it.
To reduce the use of space heating energy, please remove AC mount as Windows mount model and store in winter. ACを保管したら、ACの代わりに断熱パネルを密閉したり、窓ガラスを取り替えることができます。
空気漏れを減らす
窓および壁の空調ユニット：DIY /請負業者
コーキングやスプレーによる発泡体を使用して、壁や窓に取り付けられたACユニットの周囲のジョイントをシールします。ジョイントにカシメが入るのを防ぐため、ジョイントの幅が3 mmより大きい場合はフォームバッカーロッドを挿入してください。アウトドアからの結露を排水するためのパイプや開口部を塞がないようにしてください。
ユニット自体を通過するドラフトを停止するには、壁や窓のACユニットの上部にプラスチックシートを貼り付けます。リムーバブルテープを使用してください。春にテープを取り除いたときにテープが表面に損傷を与えないようにするには、損傷を受けないでください。
ウォーターヒーター
水タンクの温度を下げる
あなたのガスまたはオイルを沸騰させるのに適した温度は、摂氏46-49度です。したがって、水タンクの蛇口を調整してください。
電気温水タンクを摂氏60度以下に設定しないように注意してください。サーモスタットの混合バルブが推奨されています。そのため、水槽、シャワー、蛇口に供給される水は湯気を避けるために摂氏49度を超えません。
水を暖かく保つために、温水タンクの上に断熱カバーを付けます。電気タンクを持っている場合は、これを自分で行うことができます。それがガスと石油を発射したタンクの場合は、それを処理する資格のある業者を入手してください。
お湯が49℃以上のセントラルシステムで提供されている場合は、安全に温度を下げる必要があります。これが問題になる場合は、建物管理者に温度を下げるよう依頼することができます。
あなたが逃げたときにあなたの温水ヒーターを下ろす
数日間離れている場合は、お湯タンクを下げたり外したりすることができます。あなたが水を使用していない場合は、何度も何度もそれを再加熱することはありません。あなたが戻ってくると、タンクの水は、電源を入れてから数時間後に加熱されます。
あなたの習慣を変える
パーティー前に熱を下げる
あなたがパーティーをホストしている場合、彼らが到着する前にサーモスタットをダウンさせることは賢明でしょう。人々は熱を発生させるので、人々があなたの家を占有し始めると、あなたの家の温度は自然に上昇します。したがって、サーモスタットをオフにすると、パーティーが始まると熱が上がったときに窓を開ける必要はなく、代わりに体温によって家が再加熱されます。
照明、電子機器、電化製品をオフにする
電化製品、電灯、電気機器を使用しないときは、必ず電源を切ってください。今日の製品の多くは、アプライアンスを常に回転させる準備が整っている「インスタント・オン」機能を備えています。これは、機器の電源が完全に切られておらず、エネルギーが消費されていることを意味します。
「ファントムロード」とは、テレビ、時計、メモリ、タイマー、リモコン電源スイッチ、トランスなどの電化製品がオフになっても電力を引き出すときのことです。これらのアプライアンスは、電源を切ったときにわずかなエネルギーしか消費しませんが、すべてが無駄になってしまいます。
物事を自分で簡単にするには、1回のフリックですべての機器をオフにすることが役に立ちます。これを行うには、電源バーを使用して、オーディオシステム、ビデオシステム、コンピュータ、その付属品などの電子部品を集めます。電源バーをオフにすると、「ファントムローディング」の可能性があるアプライアンスが完全にオフになります。
家電を効率的に使用する
これはあなたが料理をしているときのすてきなアイデアです。鍋の蓋を使用し、鍋に熱を入れておくと、あなたの食べ物を調理するのに役立ちます。これを行うときに、熱設定を下げることができます。
洗濯機と食器洗い機を使用するときは、食器洗い機がいっぱいになったときに、食器洗浄機を稼動させて洗浄する前に全負荷がかかっていることを確認してください。あなたの汚れたプレートを洗濯機に置く前に、汚れをプレートからこすり落としてから、食器洗い機に入れて保管してください。食器を空気乾燥して乾燥させ、食器洗い機でエネルギー効率のよい乾燥サイクルを使用すると、より多くのエネルギーを節約するのに役立ちます。
階段を使ってください
エレベーターのエネルギー消費を減らすことができ、エレベーターを使用するのではなく階段を利用すると形になります。
あなたができる他のもの
エネルギー豚の報告
あなたの家や建物で適切に動作していない機器やシステムを使用せず、固定したり、建物の管理者に報告したりしてください。摩耗または欠損の天候ストリッピングがある外装ドアおよび窓は、固定または交換する必要があります。過熱された駐車場やその他の一般的な部屋やエリアは、それに応じて温度を調整する必要があります。
