Pay Attention to Your Energy Consumption!
Winter is fast approaching with cold days ahead, so we need to prepare our homes to keep the heat inside, which will help save energy and money! Here are some tips and reminders to help avoid water and air infiltration in your home:
- Check air tightness and weather-stripping around doors and windows. Caulk the small openings that let in the cold and install window coverings. This step alone can save you 20 to 40 % in heating-related costs.
- Open curtains during the day to enjoy the natural heat from the sun. Removing screens from all the windows allow the heat to better penetrate the inside of your home.
- Take a tour of the house to make sure there is no water infiltration in the foundation, brick walls, joints, outlets (dryer, stove, bathroom fan…) and from the roof. Water expands when it freezes, which can create significant damage. Seal, caulk or repair anywhere there are signs of infiltration.
- Empty and check the gutters. It’s important to remove all debris and leaves that may block the water flow in the gutter and create overflow or ice formation. Use this time to conduct a visual inspection and repair all noticeable defects.
- Cleaning the filters and baseboards of your heating system will allow better efficiency. In addition, it’s important to see that no furniture or objects are obstructing electric baseboards or heating and air vents.
Preparing your property for winter is also advisable to avoid all eventual problems caused by winter’s cold temperatures:
- Make sure you empty garden hoses, or water sprinkler system hoses, store hoses inside and turn off the water supply for the winter.
- Make sure your car shelter is well attached to prevent it from the strong northerly winds.
- Pay attention to cracks in the asphalt of your driveway and fill them or protect the surface with a coating if you did not do so in the summer. Water may aggravate these cracks and deteriorate the condition of the asphalt.
If your heating system is wood, be sure to:
- Visually check your chimney and heating system (joints, cracks, fastener strength, cap…)
- Sweep your chimney if it wasn’t done at the end of the previous winter. If you are not equipped to do this work, hire a professional!
You can take environmentally responsible actions when you heat with wood, to increase air quality in your home and our city when you burn wood:
- Limit the use of fireplaces or wood stoves on days when smog levels are high;
- Never burn varnished, painted or tinted wood, or domestic or plastic waste;
- Perform proper maintenance of your heating device (regularly remove ashes, and sweep your chimney once a year or more depending on usage…)
- Use ecological logs, which can be a good alternative to natural wood. Ecological logs release lower volumes of polluting particles, creosote and ash, facilitating chimney maintenance. In addition, their regular shape allows easy and efficient storage. They can be stored inside and are both insect and rodent-free.
We turn back the clock one hour at midnight the night of November 1st- – November 2nd. It’s also a good time to change used smoke detector batteries. Make sure you properly dispose of your batteries in the areas designated for this purpose. Many schools, businesses and municipal buildings in the City of Deux-Montagnes have display cases to return your used batteries, or you can discard them on days when hazardous household waste is collected.
