|
|
Environmental Issues in Northern Ontario
Quick Tips around the house
- Draft-proof your home. Use caulking
and weather-stripping to reduce your home heating needs by up to 20%,
and reduce your GHG emissions by up to half a tonne. An EnerGuide for
Houses evaluation can help identify where your home is losing energy.
Visit EnerGuide for Houses.
- Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
They last up to ten times longer and use one-quarter of the
electricity of a regular incandescent light bulb. Replacing 5 regular
light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent lightbulbs will
reduce your GHG emissions by 1/8 tonne.
- Install and use a programmable
thermostat. For every 1° C you lower your thermostat you can save 2%
on your heating bill. A reduction of 3 degrees C at night or when you
are away during the day provides optimal savings and can reduce your
GHGs by half a tonne.
- When buying a new appliance, choose an
energy-efficient one. A 2002 model EnergyStar qualified refrigerator
uses less than half the electricity of a unit built ten years ago, and
can reduce your GHG's by 1/10 of a tonne each year.
- Reduce your household waste. In
Canada, about 25% of our garbage is currently recycled or composted.
But studies show that much more - about 70% of our household waste
could be. A family of three can reduce their GHGs by more than 1/8th
tonne each year by composting.
Tips supplied by the Government of Canada
|
|
