A Break Down of Home Energy Costs
When buying a home, it’s a good idea to consider the operational costs of running the house you are considering and, looking at what improvements might be made to improve the energy efficiency of the home. Most media today focuses on changing light bulbs. That’s a good thing to do but in reality, lighting represents less than 5% of your over-all energy costs.
According to data provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources, a typical Ontario home can break down its energy usage as follows:
* Heating 57-62%
* Water Heating 20-21%
* Appliances 12-13%
* Lighting 4-5%
* Cooling 0-7%
How efficiently a home is heated is the most important consideration. This includes looking at the building envelope for things like vapour barriers, drafts, ventalation and of course, insulation. Is the heating source highly efficient and what changes may be needed? Does the landscaping allow for optimal conditions for letting sunshine in or out?
The Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure provides some excellent information on their website with charts and calculators that can assist you in assessing home heating and cooling options.
They have also established a home energy retrofit program to assist homeowners with the cost of home energy audits and grants of up to $10,000 toward energy conserving retrofits in a home.
Related Posts:
The Time Has Come To Build Green
If You Are Renovating
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When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!
