Are your ducts leaking?

Duct Sealing

In houses with forced-air heating and cooling systems, ducts are used to distribute conditioned air throughout the house. In a typical house, however, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system can be lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts. For this reason alone, Gold Seal Homes seals the entire HVAC (heat, ventilation & air conditioning) system.  The result is lower utility bills and a more comfortable house, no matter how the thermostat is set.

If your home was not sealed in this way, How do you know that your home has poorly performing ducts?

• you have high summer and winter utility bills;
• you have rooms that are difficult to heat and cool;
• you have stuffy rooms that never seem to feel comfortable;
• your ducts are located in an attic, crawl space, or the garage;
• you find tangled or kinked flexible ducts in your system.

Benefits of Duct Sealing

A duct system that is well-designed and properly sealed can make your home more comfortable, energy-efficient, and safer.

Learn more about the Benefits of Duct Sealing.

Simple Steps to Improving Duct Performance

Because ducts are often concealed in walls, ceiling, attics, and basements, repairing them can be difficult. But there are things that you can do to improve duct performance in your house.

Some homeowners choose to take on duct sealing as a do-it-yourself project. Energy Star has a great brochure on this topic. Start by sealing air leaks using mastic sealant or metal tape and insulating all the ducts that you can access (such as those in attics, crawl spaces, unfinished basements, and garages). Never use duct tape, as it is not long-lasting. Also, make sure that the connections at vents and registers are well-sealed where they meet the floors, walls, and ceiling. These are common locations to find leaks and disconnected ductwork.

Many homeowners choose to work with a professional contractor for duct improvement projects. Most heating and cooling equipment contractors also repair ductwork.

Energy saving tips for your Fridge

So you finally made the decision to get rid of your old kitchen relic and invest in a new refrigerator. Just by plugging in your new appliance you are already saving money. According to Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN), if you replaced your old fridge from 1990 with a new ENERGY STAR® qualified model, you would save more than 666 kWh of energy, saving up to $67 a year. With an average estimated life of 18 years, that means a total savings of $1,206. That’s a lot of extra money to put towards a nice vacation!

Dimmer switches light up your life & lighten your energy bills

Why add dimmers to your new home?

Adding dimmer switches to regular incancescent and halogen fixtures can be an inexpensive way to add ambience to your home and decrease your energy consumption.  Lighting accounts for about 15% of power consumed in the average Canadian Home.  Many of our clients choose pot lights inside and outside their homes.  For these I often recommend dimmers, as often times, the full intensity of the bulb is not required.  We even install them on exterior pot lights as the client often finds a subltle wash of light in the evening enough to light sidewalks and rear porch areas.  Dining rooms are also a trerrific area to be able to dim the light and get that ‘candle-lit’ effect.

Can I use them on energy saving bulbs?

Although dimmers typically cannot be mated with fixtures that utilize CFL (compact flourescent lights) or LED (light emmitting diode) bulbs, there are some bulbs now entering the market of this type that can be dimmed.  Make sure to check the packaging to ensure they are dimmable.

Energy Savings

The amount of energy saved with dimmer switches varies greatly, depending on how much you dim the lights, how long they are dimmed and which type of bulbs you choose. Energy savings using compact fluorescent light bulbs mirrors the level of reduction, meaning that lowering the lights by 25 percent results in a 25-percent energy savings during the time the dimmer is used. Upgrading to high-efficiency light fixtures with efficient light bulbs results in more energy savings than installing dimmer switches to operate ordinary fixtures.

Replacing old standard switches

If you choose to upgrade as switch to a dimmable switch, it is advisable to contract a reputable electrician, not only to ensure proper installation, but to maintain the integrity of your home and reduce the chance of injury due to improper installation.  If you are confident that you can make the upgrade yourself, please remember to locate the circuit breaker that cuts off the power to the fixture and turn it off.

Philips EnduraLED Retrofit Lamps

The world’s first LED replacement for a 60-watt incandescent bulb is now also the first to earn ENERGY STAR certification.

Philips Lighting has annouced that their EnduraLED 12.5 Watt A19 has met or exceeded Energy Star’s light quality and energy efficiency requirements for an LED equivalent to the 60W incandescent, which has the added benefit of making this bulb more readily eligible for utility rebate programs.  The EnduraLED portfolio offers the broadest range of LED retrofit lamps on the market, including MR16s, A-lamps, candles and PAR lamps, in an assortment of colour temperatures and beam spreads.  Philips’ investment and expertise in LED technology promises a product with guaranteed lifetime performance, and the best in light quality, at truly remarkable saving. With an instant-on, soft white light that is mercury and lead-free, providing up to 80% in energy savings, and lasting 25 times longer than the bulbs they replace, Philips award-winning EnduraLED lamps are a simple choice for all your business or home needs.

Why they are green:    1. lead free       2. low operating cost      3.long life span

Why Murray likes them; They operate at a low temperature, therefore a safer alternative for a reading lamp that was in the reach of his children-no worries of their little hands getting burned.

Why Tracy likes them; Finally a dimmable-energy efficient bulb.

What’s your program?

Not all Programmable thermostats are created equally.  If you are considering upgrading your thermostat, there are many brands and models available to the consumer these days.  Gold Seal has tested many different models and manufacturers and we have found that the Honeywell company offers the best series of ‘stats to suit varying budgets and needs.  Some of the features we suggest you look for:

 

• Energy Star rated
• CSA or CMHC approved
• 5/2 or 7 day programming
• Humidifier interface -humidistat
• Furnace filter change reminder (keep your heating/cooling system operating at peak performance)
• Low battery indicator

Other things to consider that are more convenient than a necessity are: back-lit displays (great for night-time), daylight saving time clock feature, touchscreen displays (these are kind of cool looking) and of course look for a warranty.

Make sure that the unit you purchase is compatible with your type of heating system, and if you have an air conditioner, look for a unit that will control that as well.

Phantom Power

Your computer and other electronic devices use power – known as phantom power - even when in standby mode or switched off. This article explains how you can combat phantom power, save bucks on your electricity bill and help the environment.  No I’m not talking about one of the Tragically Hip’s lesser known albums, I’m talking about the power that is lost when appliances are plugged in to a wall socket but are turned off.

We all know that computers use energy when switched on (How Much electricity Does a Computer Use?) but did you know that your computer and other electronic equipment may be using energy even when switched off or in stand-by mode? The phenomenon is known by a number of names including idle current, phantom load, vampire energy and idle current. ENERGY STAR say, “Even when turned off, electronic and IT equipment often use a small amount of electricity. For home office equipment, this standby or ‘phantom’ power load can range from a few watts to as much as 20 or even 40 watts for each piece of equipment.”

According to SaskPower, the principal supplier of electricity in Saskatchewan, Canada, “In the average home, 40% of all electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This is equal to about 10% of total home electricity consumption or about 70 watts per home. In Canada, two coal-fired power plants could be decommissioned if phantom power was eliminated.” So, we’re not talking about an inconsiderable amount of electricity. But what’s using the energy? Basically, anything that doesn’t completely switch off when in not in use. That could include computers, cell phone chargers and other chargers (including laptop chargers), computer monitors, printers, TVs, cable boxes, electric toothbrushes and devices with clocks such as microwaves. There are a number of things that you can do to combat phantom energy. The easiest option is to simply unplug the items from the wall (do you really need your printer to be on standby 24/7?). To make the job speedier, you can connect multiple devices to a power strip and then simply unplug that. When replacing devices, look for products that have earned the ENERGY STAR rating. These will use less energy during both normal operation and when in stand-by (but still switch them off whenever practical – they’ll still use some energy). Finally, a number of companies are starting to release products which do not use energy when in stand-by. For example, Fujitsu Siemens new range of SCENICVIEW monitors use zero watts when not in use.

Phantom energy consumption adds up. By taking the time to unplug things and shopping wisely, you can knock a considerable amount of your electricity bill – and that’s something we all need to do in these recessionary times – and help the environment.