As the cost of running your home continues to go up, there are many ways and places to look for savings.

Most of them will not cost the moon!

One of the easiest ways to save energy is to maintain your home in the best condition possible. Things you can do include: changing your furnace air filter regularly and ensuring your furnace, air conditioner, HRV, and hot water tank are all tuned up yearly. Check the weather seals on your doors windows for wear and damage. Also look at the exterior caulking to see if it has failed. With your home not in good condition, you could be just heating the great outdoors.

Also have look at your appliances. If they are getting close to 10 years old, the new ones are much more efficient. Most appliances when they get to 10 years old today are living on borrowed time, so have a look at new ones before they start to give you grief. That way you can make a well thought out decision for the next purchase.

The next step depending on the age of your home is to look at the insulation and weather sealing of your home. It can be as simple as adding insulation to the attic of your home or to the foundation walls. When you go in the attic, before you add insulation, look for the pipes and wires that come through the framing. These holes should be sealed up as well as the openings for the ceiling lights. You will also need to look for gaps between the foundation and floor framing in the basement, so that you can caulk small gaps and spray foam larger ones. You should also ensure that the interior caulking around the window and door casings, and baseboards is in good shape.

When you get to these above items, you may want to have an eco-audit done on your home first. That way you will get paid by both Provincial and Federal governments for the various improvements you make on your home. Getting paid to save money!

The next step is to look at your HVAC equipment and other big ticket items - windows and doors, etc. Generally if these items are in good condition and less than 8 years old, it does not make sense to change them right away. This is because the potential energy savings generally will not pay for the cost difference, for a long time.

So make sure the windows, doors, furnace, HRV, and air conditioner are at the end of there life before considering changing them; unless the replacement is part of a larger renovation project.

When you keep your home in good condition, not only do you keep your energy costs down you also maintain the value of your home and help the environment. You end up being green and saving green!

About the Author

Rob Wright heads Citadel Renovations in Ottawa and has helped many homeowners improve their homes. The projects have ranged from simple home repairs to extensive addition and/or rebuild renovations in various locations in Eastern Ontario. In addition, Citadel Renovations has supplied services to Home Depot customers. Rob has been active in the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association for many years and has previously acted as the Renovation Council Chair. Rob has presented seminars at local home shows on various renovations subjects. For more information, visit CitadelRenovations.com . Image from www.citadelrenovations.com