Energy Saving Tips

Here are some simple tips to help you reduce your energy bills, and cut down on the amount of greenhouse gases you produce.

Your house

  • Use the smoke from a burning stick of incense to find spots in your house where the air is leaking (air leakage can represent up to 40 per cent of the heat loss from a house).
  • Use caulking and weatherstripping to seal cracks around doors or windows.
  • Install plastic or a storm window on single-or double-pane windows.
  • Install foam gaskets behind the cover plates of any light switches and electrical outlets that are on outside walls.
  • Book an EnerGuide for Houses audit through Yukon Housing Corporation. Call (867) 667-5759 or 1-800-661-0408 ext. 5759.

Hot water

  • Install low-flow showerheads.
  • Fix leaky faucets – one drop per second out of a leaky tap wastes 27 litres of water per day.
  • Install a kitchen faucet aerator – this can cut the amount of water coming out of your faucet by half.
  • Wrap hot water tanks with fiberglass insulation and poly or with foil bubble pack.
  • Wrap all hot water pipes with foam insulation.
  • If the hot water tank is on a concrete floor, raise the tank and lay a two-inch pad of styrofoam under it.
  • Turn the hot water tank temperature down to 55 degrees Celsius.
  • If you are going away for a week or more, turn off the hot water tank breaker at the electrical panel. When you turn it back on, you’ll have some hot water within 10 minutes, and a full tank of hot water in a couple of hours.
  • If you are buying a new hot water tank, purchase the one with the most insulation (R-16 or better).

Appliances

  • Buy only Energy Star appliances – they will pay for themselves in energy savings in just a few years.
  • Use a thermometer to set the fridge at +4 degrees Celsius and the freezer at -20 degrees Celsius.
  • Wait until there's a full load before running the washer or dishwasher.
  • Use the air dry cycle in your dishwasher.
  • Dry clothes on an outdoor line. If they are too stiff after that, give them five minutes in the dryer on the air dry setting.
  • Clean the lint screen in your dryer before every use.

Lighting

  • Use low-energy night lights.
  • Install timers on lamps and Christmas lights.
  • Purchase light emitting diode Christmas lights – they save 90 per cent of energy use.
  • Switch off a light if you aren't using it.
  • For jobs that need good light, install task lighting close to the job.
  • Keep shades and light covers clean to get the most out of the bulb. Keep the bulbs clean too.
  • Install motion sensors for outside lighting and for lighting some rooms indoors.
  • Install compact fluorescent lights – they cost more to buy but last a very long time. They also give the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb, but at a quarter of the operating cost.

Oil heating systems

  • Clean or replace the furnace filter regularly. Pleated paper filters perform better.
  • Keep vents open to distribute heat.
  • Install a programmable thermostat to turn down the heat at night and when the house is unoccupied.
  • Look for the EnerGuide label when purchasing a new heating system.
  • Pick up a copy of Oil Burner Checklist from Yukon Housing.
  • Ask your furnace technician whether the appliance is performing to its maximum efficiency.