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Daily Tips for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions


This page is organized with the most recent entries at the top, to save frequent visitors from doing a lot of scrolling. Later, I expect I will break the entries out into separate pages about twice a month to reduce page loading time.

Efficient lighting bargains. Time to see if you can find bargains on energy efficient holiday lighting for next year's festive display. Remember, LED lighting can use just 10% or less of the energy of the incandescent mini-lights they are replacing. And they are much more robust, and the whole string doesn't fail if one light goes out like with traditional incandescent coloured lights or the icicle lights of the last decade or so.

Sleep in, stay home, relax. Yesterday was likely a busy day, and you need some time to clean up, and generally recover from the frantic season.

Take a day off, it's Christmas! Enjoy the fruits of your labours, your family and friends. However, if you have to drive this day to do that, remember that you will be doing so with a smaller GHG footprint than would have otherwise been the case.

Shop for an electric vehicle (EV>. For 2011. If the automakers are keeping their commitment to the Canadian market, you should be able to buy at least three different kinds of electric car by now. However, cars aren't the only kind of EV around. Personally, in addition to an electric car, I have an electric tractor, an electric boat and an electric bicycle. I have had several other electric cars in the past, and two electric motorcycles. Electric drive vehicles produce no GHG emissions at point of use, and less than a fossil-fueled vehicle, even if the electricity is generated from coal. Of course, you can clean up your electrical generation by buying green tags or similar programs that put clean, renewable electricity on the grid.

October 2

Food Preservation and Storage (18). 4) Mechanical refrigeration techniques

October 1

Food Preservation and Storage (17). Natural strategies requiring freezing (high level natural cooling) * Seasonal storage outdoors in animal-proof containment, where feasible. Do not underestimate the power of bears or intelligence of raccons or just how small insects can be when designing your 'animal-proof' containment.)

September 30

Food Preservation and Storage (16). Natural strategies that require cool temperatures, but not freezing temperatures (low level natural cooling) Cold cellar for storing of certain crops after harvesting.

September 29

Food Preservation and Storage (15). Drying and dehydration of foods (jerky, spices, etc.)

September 28

Food Preservation and Storage (14). Smoking. (bad for you, good for your food)

September 27

Food Preservation and Storage (13). Salt curing.

September 26

Food Preservation and Storage (12). Pickling (canning, preserves) of food. (Fermenting - beer, wine, mead, grog, others?)

September 25

Food Preservation and Storage (11). "Green" bags / containers (absorb ethylene from fruits / vegetables).

September 24

Food Preservation and Storage (10). Acquire food as required to reduce preservation requirements.

September 23

Food Preservation and Storage (9). Cold cellar for storing of certain crops after harvesting.

September 22

Food Preservation and Storage (8). Food preservation methods that do not require cooling * Have a garden so you can pick fresh produce in season.

September 21

Food Preservation and Storage (7). Moving items from freezer to refrigerator to defrost.

September 20

Food Preservation and Storage (6). Size equipment to application.

September 19

Food Preservation and Storage (5). Recognize that these appliances do produce heat, and try to make use of that in some way if possible. If it displaces some other form of heat production in your home, that may help reduce your GHG production.

September 18

Food Preservation and Storage (4). Open the door as infrequently and for as short a time as possible. While many exaggerate the amount of energy this wastes, it is still true that it uses some additional energy, unnecessarily. So, save some electricity, save some money, and save on your GHG emissions by keeping the door closed as much as possible.

September 17

Food Preservation and Storage (3). Put a sheet of insulating material under the refrigerator or freezer to slow the convection of heat from the floor into the appliance. You may think your floor is cold, but it is warmer than the interior of your freezer or refrigerator. Reducing the convection of heat into the body of the appliance means less energy used to keep the contents cold. Less electricity used means less GHG emissions.

September 16

Food Preservation and Storage (2). Replace the incandescent light inside the appliance with an efficient light, such as a very small compact fluorescent or an LED light. These have been hard to find in the right size until recently, but getting easier now. The incandescent light not only uses 4 times the electricity when it is on, but is producing heat inside the cold space, which has to be removed by the refrigeration system later, using more electricity. Less electricity used means less GHG emissions.

September 15

Food Preservation and Storage (1). Now that our youngsters are back in school, and we have had a hint or two that summer is over, we should be thinking about how we are going to deal with autumn's bounty from the garden. Not the lovely things we have enjoyed from the garden through the summer, but the bulk of foods we have grown to last through the winter and spring. It seems that many of us have forgotten there are means of storing and preserving food other than a refrigerator and freezer.

I have nothing against these modern appliances, which are marvels of efficiency compared to their ancestors of just 15 to 20 years ago. Our refrigerator uses less than 500 watt-hours a day of electricity - about 7 cents worth! (About half of its EnergyStar energy consumption rating.) That's a lot less than the value of food we might lose without the refrigerator to keep it fresh and safe longer.

However, there are a few things you can do to reduce the power consumption of your refrigerator and freezer still further.

1) Place the unit in a cool part of the house. For example, try not to place it near a window that will get full sun, or directly beside the stove. Reducing the infra-red heating on the appliance will reduce the amount of energy it consumes to keep the contents cold. Less electricity used means less GHG emissions.

Winter Gardening. Elliott Coleman 4 season Harvest

2011.06.27

Insulated Spa Covers If you have a hot tub or spa, a fair bit of energy can be used maintaining the water temperature. One means of reducing that energy consumption (and related greenhouse gas emissions) is to use a well-insulated cover for the vessel to keep the heat in. For example, one vendor has a model that includes R-19 insulation.


2010.04.22

Happy Earth Day!! (2010) I'm still fully consumed by the Ontario ban on zero-emissions electric vehicles, but could not pass up the opportunity to wish us all a better Earth. I'm sure you are all doing something new this week to try to reduce your carbon footprint. Feel free to drop me a note about that - what you are trying, how it's going.

By the way, as in years past, Home Depot is kicking off their Mow Down Pollution event this week. Trade in your gas-burning mowers and line trimmers, working or not, for up to a $100 credit on a more earth-friendly alternative. Less gasoline burned means less green house gases produced.


2010.04.16

Bill C-311 vote passes. (2010) Thanks for your support. I'll try to keep you informed of its future progress. It's not the complete answer, but it is a real step forward toward meeting the climate change challenge.


2010.04.12

Tell your MP and federal party leaders to vote in favour of Bill C-311, the Climate Accountability Act. (2010) The bill is up for the final vote in the House of Commons this Wednesday afternoon (April 14th). For an easy way to send e-mails to four key MPs, use [dead site: http://www.kintera.org/c.5oIBJOPyGiIUF/b.5917535/k.B72A/Tell_the_government_and_Opposition_to_Take_Climate_Action/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?sid=252154671&auid=6186601] this form from the David Suzuki Foundation.

While this will not reduce your personal greenhouse gas emissions immediately, it will ensure that we can reliably measure and control our GHG emissions in the future.

Please take 3 minutes today or tomorrow to act on this, or the opportunity will be lost.


2010.04.04

Ontario Bans Electric Cars!
(2010) Apologies for being "off-the-air" for the past few weeks. Not only have there been too many demands on my time, but I have been trying to figure out what is going on behind this story. To little avail. As a result, in frustation, many of us that advocate for clean-air electric vehicles in Ontario have felt we have no recourse but to appeal to the public to tell the Ontario government that we want transportation options that emit fewer greenhouse gases and are better for the environment. For more, please visit the
Repeal the Ontario EV Ban page on this Web site.


2010.02.25

Hybrid Delivery Trucks. (2010) I wanted to share this find with you. These trucks save 30% on fuel consumption, and thus 30% on their greenhouse gas emissions (and 30% on fuel costs).


2010.02.19

Ontario electricity and coal. If you are an Ontarian, and you want to cut greenhouse gas emissions related to electricity use, what if I had a way that would cost you no money - just a few minutes of your time to read an article and send an e-mail? Interested?

Here's the article from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance. Interesting, don't you think?

Now here's the hard part: [dead link: https://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/feedback.asp?Lang=EN] send an e-mail to Premier Dalton McGuinty asking him to provide climate leadership for Canada and the world by phasing out our dirty coal plants before the G20 Summit. That's it. If we can convince the Ontario government to do this, we will reduce Ontario greenhouse gas emissions from electrical generation by over 70%.

For those of you in provinces other than Ontario that burn coal to produce electricity, perhaps an e-mail to your premier asking them to explain their stance on climate change, and how it aligns with burning coal.


2010.02.18

Planning the garden (1). Why a garden - growing your soil

2010.02.17

Planning the garden (1). Why a garden - autumn bounty

2010.02.11

Planning the garden (1). Why a garden - food quality (no herbicides, pesticides, chemical weapons)

2010.02.15

Planning the garden (1). Why a garden - picking what you want

2010.02.14

Planning the garden (1). Why a garden (in touch with nature)

2010.02.13

Planning the garden (1). Square foot gardening

2010.02.12

Planning the garden (1). Why a garden (transportation energy use)

2010.02.11

Planning the garden (2). Small garden (container gardening)

2010.02.10

Planning the garden (1). Why a garden (fresh)

2010.02.09

Skipping a 10% tax increase. (2010) This one might seem a bit off-topic, but bear with me for a minute. Today, the Ottawa municipal government announced their intention to raise water rates by another 10% for 2010. This will make the 4th year in a row they will increase these rates by 9% or more - 40% in 4 years! If you find that tiresome and would like to boycott this tax grab, there is a solution. Reduce your water consumption by 10% or more. Fight the $50 increase (the estimate for the average Ottawa household over a year), by reducing your consumption by $50.

Think that's difficult? Probably not. Typically toilets use about a third or more of our residential water consumption. So, if you have not already done so, switch to a model that uses less water. Personally, I like our 6-litre (ultra low flow) unit, but I would not recommend our more recent acquisition, an American Standard Flowise dual 3/6 litre unit.

If a complete toilet replacement is outside your recession budget, how about a $5 refit that will reduce the amount of water used to fill your toilet, but does not affect the flush volume at all? (OK, it's a self-serving plug for a product I sell, but this is exactly the reason I found these years ago and chose to make them available to Canadians.)

What's this got to do with greenhouse gas emissions? It takes a lot of energy to pump water to your house, and to treat it so it is safe to drink. That energy comes primarily in the form of electricity, and in this province, a goodly chunk of that is still produced by burning coal and natural gas. So, reducing your water consumption reduces the electricity used, and reduces the greenhouse gas emissions produced. Oh, and it will also reduce your water bill.

I had not planned on dealing with water conservation and efficiency until later in the year, but the Ottawa announcement today made me think I should address it briefly today.


2010.02.08

Seal the envelope (20). Windows (more). If you are considering replacement windows, definitely do your homework before deciding what to buy. In Canada, you almost certainly want low-emissivity (low-E) windows. Pretty much every manufacturer makes this claim for their products, so check for certification of the R value and U values of the units. The values vary widely depending on the materials used and the construction quality. For example, R-values can range from less than 1 for a single pane of glass to 4.35 for Soft Coat Low-E insulated glass with argon gas between the panes. Triple-glazed units can do even better. However, remember that even the worst wall (that meets building code) will be at least R-12, or at 3 times as good. Which just re-emphasizes my point over the past couple of days - windows are heat losers.


2010.02.07

Seal the envelope (19). Windows (more). I have been putting this topic off as long as I can - replacement windows. If you still have single-pane Pierson sliders (popular in the 1950s and 1960s), you probably should replace them just for the heating cost benefit (and the reduced energy use will reduce greenhouse gas emissions). However, if you have more modern windows with at least two layers of glass, the cost of replacement windows doesn't necessarily make it a slam-dunk decision.

If you are considering replacement windows, do some homework. Consider the following factors. Windows, no matter how wonderful the salesperson says they are, are heat losers. They cost more than walls for the area they cover. So, at least consider the possibility of going with smaller windows than the originals. Oversize framing on the outside and moulding/trim on the inside can make it look fine. On a large window, a bay treatment with a sitting ledge can be very attractive, and provide additional insulation space opportunities. A window box treatment, both inside and outside for sun-facing windows in particular can really dress up the exterior with flowers, and possibly fresh herbs and spices on the interior planter space.


2010.02.06

Seal the envelope (18). Windows (more). If you already have good quality double-glazed windows, consider a decorative treatment that will effectively make them triple-glazed. We did this on a bathroom window, which provided several benefits. First, it provided privacy from the view from neighbours' windows. Second, it eliminated the need for a curtain, which took up a couple of inches of space in a small room. Third, it provided a nice aesthetic touch to the exterior appearance of the window. Fourth, it provided an additional barrier to heat escaping from the room.

In our case, I built a custom piece of stained glass (the image matched a rose pattern on the shower curtain my wife made). The glass piece was finished with a narrow zinc frame, which fit into the existing window frame, flush with the glass. I took clear silicone seal to 'glue' the stained glass panel to the glass and frame edge.

If you don't have a friend that does stained glass work, there are other options. Faux stained glass based on plastic panels is a fairly easy technique to learn and relatively inexpensive.

If you don't need the aesthetic effects, you could just have a piece of plastic panel or glass cut to size, and install that. A solid piece of textured glass can provide privacy while still allowing sunlight to enter. If you are not framing the piece to be installed, make sure you find a way to space the new panel off the glass to get the desired insulating air pocket. Personally, I like to use thin strips (1 to 2 cm wide) of the same plastic or glass, but you can likely achieve the same benefit with a generous, but carefully applied, line of the clear silicone sealant.

It is best to do this installation on a cool, dry day. This will reduce the amount of moisture that may be trapped inside the new pocket. Heating the area with a hair dryer just before finishing the seal may be helpful.


2010.02.05

Seal the envelope (17). Windows (more). If you don't have 'storm' windows, there are a couple of other options you can use to get much the same benefit. You can buy clear plastic panels at a hardware store, and 'cut' them to size to fit your window frame. Drill holes along the edges and use large, dome-head screws to attach to the window frame. If you don't want to put holes in your window frame, you can invest in more sophisticated mounting arrangements (e.g., build a frame around the panel and clip it to the window frame). During the summer, make sure to store these panels in a dark place, as many of these types of plastic will yellow and age with exposure to UV light (as in sunlight). There are commercial products that come with magnetic strips and frames, so mounting each year is just a matter of snapping the panel into place and letting the magnets hold them.

If the window being covered doesn't have a view of value, you can also use a heavy gauge vapour barrier plastic as the covering. Simple wood framing applied around the sides of the window frame will help reduce drafts and hold the plastic securely in place. If removed and stored carefully, such plastic window covers can be used for several years before sun damage will do them in.


2010.02.04

Seal the envelope (16). Windows (more). If you have 'storm' windows, use them. They will create another barrier to heat escaping from your house, and possibly another block against drafts. If you cool your house with an air conditioner in the summer, leave them up year-round. They can act as a barrier to heat getting in as well as out.


2010.02.03

Seal the envelope (15). Windows (more). Windows are about heat loss. At the time they might actually provide a heat gain benefit, we are getting the least amount of sunlight per day (winter). That's why it's cold outside and we're looking for the heat. Windows are terrible at keeping heat in. Further, unless your windows get a pretty unobstructed view to the sun from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, they're not going to provide much benefit. Ditto on the days when it is overcast, which has been frequent here so far this winter. If you really want the benefit of solar gain in the winter, you need to look to solar closets, not conventional windows. Here are a couple of links on the subject of windows.

Natural Resources Canada on Energy-Efficient Windows, Doors and Skylights
National Fenestration Rating Council on U-values

In short, while windows may improve the aesthetics of your home, and may provide a great view of the outdoors, they are going to cost you money on your heating bill, and likely on your cooling bill as well.


2010.02.02 - Groundhog Day

Seal the envelope (14). Windows (more). Windows are likely the worst-insulated part of your walls. Insulated window coverings are one way to reduce the heat loss associated with our windows. Here's a piece I have written elsewhere on insulated window coverings. From the looks of things outside, the groundhogs will be forecasting 6 more weeks of winter, so there's still time to benefit from warming up the inside of our windows.

Mary, we're pulling for you, and hoping the day goes as well as it possibly can.


2010.02.01

Seal the envelope (13). Windows. Seal them up for the heating season. Replacement may be expensive, but applying the heat-shrink plastic film is not. Apply it around the outside of the window frame, or even onto the wall beside the window trim to capture as much of the potential draft area as possible.


2010.01.31

Shopping Tip: Skip the drive-through lane. I'm not suggesting that we sleep-deprived Canadians take to the wheel without our caffeine hit. However, if you make that first coffee at home, it will cost you less, and reduce our use of disposable cup and lid by one, every day.

If you still want/need to go to the coffee shop to start your day, park your car and walk up to the counter. The fuel you don't burn stacked up in the drive-through lane will reduce your GHG emissions.

Better still, take your re-usable travel mug in with you. Most coffee shops will give you a discount on your beverage (typically 10 cents). Reduced emissions and a small savings on your morning coffee - now that's the way to start your day!


2010.01.30

Shopping Tip: (2010) This week, Staples (Office Depot) has their house brand recycled copy paper (both 30% and 100% post-consumer material) on sale at 20% off the regular price. Stock up for your needs for 2010. Not only will you save 20% on the money side (double our 10% objective), but it will cut the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the paper you use. Using recycled paper means that fewer trees are cut down, moved to a pulping plant and processed from raw wood to pulp to paper. That means less chainsaws, skidding, trucking and process energy used. Since almost all that energy comes from fossil fuels today, that cuts greenhouse gas emissions.


2010.01.29

No householder tip today - I'm still too furious about Prime Minister Harper's comments yesterday regarding climate change at the Davos conference.

Arguing that we can't take any action on climate change because the technology isn't ready yet is shameful. It's the equivalent of Britain saying we won't live up to our treaty obligations in 1939 because we haven't built up our military inventory yet. The way we encourage action is to set the targets, and follow up by actually doing something. Further, we don't need any additional technology to get started, we have technology sitting on the shelf that we have not come close to exploiting to its potential.

If we want a habitable planet for future generations, it is in our own self-interest to start taking action now, at least on taking the easy wins. Finishing may not be as easy, but putting off getting started will only make the completion of the task more difficult and take much longer.


2010.01.28

Seal the envelope (12). Finding the holes (still more). Infra-red imaging. A relatively new development in the past few years, thermal imaging devices can take a heat picture of your home. Best done on cold days (or nights), so the contrast is more stark. Used outside the house, hot spots are usually the indicator of points where heat is escaping from your building. Used indoors, cold spots are the likely trouble points. The professional cameras are still a bit spendy ($2,000 or more). However, you may be able to hire the job out, rent or borrow a camera. Another option is to use a thermometer gun, usually a couple of hundred dollars. This is much more time-consuming, but if you have a candidate in mind, it may suffice to prove the point. I have also heard that military surplus night-vision goggles or binoculars can be somewhat useful for this purpose.


2010.01.27

Seal the envelope (11). Window Air Conditioners. If you have a window air conditioner, take it out before the heating season, and stuff the space full of foamboard insulation, and seal all the edges of the opening with weather-sealing tape. After all, if you had a machine blocking the view all summer, you don't need that view in the winter. A few inches of insulation will be better for your heating bill than the original window.


2010.01.26

Seal the envelope (10). Finding the holes (more). A couple of other ways to detect breaches in the integrity of your fortress against the elements. Tape a single ply of toilet paper or very fine tissue paper to a piece of dowel (or a long pencil), and carry this about in front of you as you move about the structure. Movement of the paper is an indicator of a draft or air movement.

Another means of detection is to look for cobwebs. Not only do they tend to waver in the breeze of a draft, their very existence is a clue. The webs are often placed by spiders in a gentle air flow which can move their prey in the the web. Some of the webs will only indicate a convection airflow in a room (which is why they are often in corners close to the ceiling). However, other locations may be a clue to a subtle draft.


2010.01.25

Seal the envelope (9). Finding the holes. As it is windy day as I write this entry, it comes naturally to think of using that to advantage. Take a walk around your house on a windy day, and listen and feel for the breezes that are penetrating the envelope of your house. Take note of where they occur so you can figure them out and address them later.

Personally, I have not resorted to the incense stick trick to find drafts; I simply cannot stand the smell of them. However, it that is not an issue for you, I have read that you can put 2 or 3 together to increase the amount of smoke to help visualize the air movement.

The usual suspects are around windows, doors, ducts, pipes that penetrate the building exterior, chimneys.


2010.01.24

Seal the envelope (8). Vents. There are several holes in our houses that we put there intentionally: kitchen fan vent holes; bathroom fan vent holes; clothes dryer exhaust; combustion air intakes (for carbon-fuel furnaces); whole-house attic ventilation fans; soil stacks and so on. In most cases, the job of these holes is to eject warm (and frequently moist) air from the building. During the heating season, this is not necessarily beneficial, as we could use that heat and moisture to advantage.

Where these vents exhaust through a wall, they frequently have one-way flappers to prevent reverse flow when not in use. It is worth checking these flappers periodically to ensure they are working correctly. If not, they are simply holes in your house letting heat escape.

During the heating season it is also worth trying to use these powered vents (bathrooms, kitchen) as little as possible. If your bathroom vent is controlled from the same switch as the light, it may be worth trying to separate the circuits so they can be controlled separately, to save electricity and heat loss.

Finally, if a vent won't be used for a season (e.g., electric clothes dryer), consider opening the duct pipe close to the vent and inserting an insulating 'plug' to block airflow and provide additional insulation.


2010.01.23

Seal the envelope (7). Joist Headers. In typical wood-frame house, the floor that sits on the foundation is simply a ladder of 2x6 or 2x8 boards, with another board edgewise to close it in. A dressed piece of lumber makes a terrible insulator. Therefore, to help reduce the heat energy loss through this point, it makes a lot of sense to put some real insulation alongside it. Also, it is a good idea to use caulking to seal the edge between the lumber and the concrete to reduce air infiltration. Don't forget to put vapour barrier in place on the warm side of the insulation if using a type that can retain moisture.


2010.01.22

Seal the envelope (6). Outlets and switches. In the typical house, electrical outlets and switches that are installed in exterior walls are energy holes. First, they put a thermally-conductive box where insulation should be. Second, they create a physical hole in the interior skin of the wall. Third, they puncture the vapour barrier. Fourth, they create a path for cold air to enter the structure. Fifth, outlets and switches mean wiring inside the wall, which usually leads to poor insulation installation.

What can we do about them? When doing renovations, additions or new construction, try to avoid putting wiring, outlets and switches in exterior walls. However, that doesn't help us with existing homes that already have outlets and switches in exterior walls. For that, we need to wield a screwdriver and some appropriate materials. Most hardware stores will stock gaskets and insulating spray foam. In this case, we don't want the stuff that expands to 7 to 10 times its original size, but foam that only expands slightly.

Flip the circuit breaker or pull the fuse for the circuit(s) you will be working on, to de-energize the circuit(s).

Remove the cover plates from the outlets and switches. If it is obvious that there is no insulation around the box, use the long nozzle to spray some foam behind and around the electrical box. Try not to imbed the adjacent wires in case of future maintenance or renovations that might need access. Spray a little foam to seal the edge of the electrical box and the wall. Move to the next outlet or switch box to be done (get all the foaming done first so you can seal up the can, and only have to seal it once for the exercise).

Go back to the first work spot, and clean up any foam that has expanded to places you don't want it. Then, take an appropriate foam sealing gasket and fit it over the outlet face or switch, and put the outlet or switch cover back on. Repeat for all the work spots.

Turn the circuit breakers back on.

Remember, the focus is exterior walls. There is very little benefit to sealing up the electrical boxes in interior walls. This exercise will reduce the drafts in your house, reduce the amount of heating energy you use, and as a result reduce your heating bill and your greenhouse gas emissions, possibly by 1 or 2%.


2010.01.21

Seal the envelope (5). Interior doors. If you have rooms in your house that don't need to be kept as warm as others, keep them closed as appropriate, and seal them up a bit. For example, if there is a door to your attic, treat it as if it were an exterior door, perhaps even going as far as installing a 'storm' door with the existing door. Add a bottom door sweep to seal the bottom of the door. Consider attaching some foam board to the back side of the attic door to increase its insulating value. Put a cloth cover over the door knob to reduce conductive heat loss through it. Put the foam weather-sealing tape to work on the door lips. If you have a cold cellar (as opposed to a heated basement), consider giving the door to it similar insulating and weather-sealing treatment.

For doors to regular rooms which may be kept closed on a regular basis, consider a door 'snake'. The door snake is just a weighted tube of insulating material wrapped in fabric which is the length of the bottom of the door. It sits on the floor against the door, blocking air flow. The fabric exterior prevents scratching flooring material, provides a flexible edge to improve the seal against the door, and adds some insulating value. Also helps reduce noise transmission under the door. There are 'U' shaped versions that put insulating strips on each side of the door bottom, and move with the door when it opens and closes. Don't work so well on carpeted doorways. There are commercial versions of both types, but you can easily make your own.

Foam weather-sealing tape may be overkill for regular interior doors, but not out of the question in some situations.


2010.01.20

Seal the envelope (4). Exterior doors. While they're critical to letting you in and out of your house, they're also a portal for your heat to leave the house. It's tough to make an airtight seal around your doors, however, that should be the target. Where feasible, take an airlock approach to your building entrances. That is, create two separate doorways some distance apart so that it is unlikely both will be open at the same time. This greatly reduces the volume of air exchanges when the doors are opened. This was the real function of foyers and vestibules in older architecture. It's also a good channel to line with closets. Not only because they provide convenient storage for coats and boots, but they also act as a thermal buffering space between the the living space and the building exterior.

However, even if you can't take on the construction of a new airlock this week, you can still likely improve the air-tightness of your existing doorway. If you don't have a two-door system now (i.e., a main 'security' door and a 'storm' or 'screen' door, definitely look into rectifying that.

The conventional sealing of a door is based on the fit of the door to the doorframe, a bottom sealing 'sweep', the door frame lip, and sealing strips. Ensure all of these are in good order, and repair or install/replace as appropriate. However, this may still not be enough. Weather-sealing foam tape on the inside of the door frame lips can make a big difference in reducing air infiltration around doors. A strip gasket at the bottom of the outside edge of the main door goes a long way to stopping that pesky under-door draft (however, it can present a tripping hazard, so weigh the benefits and issues before installing that one). Make sure the sweeper on the screen door is set to the proper depth to mate with the door sill when closed, and the gaskets around the edges are in good order. Repair and replace as appropriate.


2010.01.19

Seal the envelope (3). Attic insulation. So, how much insulation is really in your attic? And is it uniform and complete to the edges? It's worth checking. When we bought our house (built in the cheap energy early 1970s), two building inspectors went through it as part of the sale; first for the vendor, then another for us. Neither reported what I found later - there was no ceiling insulation at all in one corner of the building. It appeared that the original builder simply quit laying fibreglass batts when they got to one corner. Even where there was insulation, there was only 3.5 inches of it (nominally R-12, but more like R-10 in reality.) Worse, none of it covered the joists, which acted like thermal bridges as a result, and the original installation was sloppy, not getting batts up to the edges of the runs between the joists.

The resolution to this was to buy a bunch more batts of ceiling insulation (20 cm or 8 inches thick), and install it. I also bought one bag of the 3.5 inch insulation and used that to fix the original issues before layering in the thicker batts. I laid a first layer of the thicker R-19 batts cross-ways to the joists, and then another layer perpendicular to that, making sure to leave space for air flow under the roof. Result, nominally R-50 throughout most of the attic space, and up to R-70 over the upstairs hallway. That resulted in a major drop in our heating bill the following winter (about 30%), and a corresponding drop in our household greenhouse gas emissions.

The financial payback was roughly 2 heating seasons. This one did require a significant investment (hundreds of dollars) and a couple of days of my time to do the installation. (I'm not a professional at this, I was fixing previous issues and being meticulous, and putting in more insulation than most people would.) As a result, we are maintaining the same level of comfort as before, but with less energy used.

Follow-up note: yesterday, while buying more foam tape to seal my attic hatch, I noticed that my local Canadian Tire had the duct switch box for directing electric clothes dryer exhaust indoors or outdoors on sale at 25% off (around $8). This is not in the current CTC flyer, and the sale ends January 22nd, 2010. I mentioned this free heat technique in my January 11th entry. Just thought you might like to know.


2010.01.18

Seal the envelope (2). Attic hatch. Most houses have an entry point into the attic, be it a doorway or a hatch. In most cases, this passage is poorly sealed, and not insulated. In other words, it is a chimney, taking warm air from your living space and ejecting it into the attic, where it provides no benefit, and from there into the atmosphere via roof vents.

Get some foam weather sealing tape, and use it to create an air resistant gasket around the edges of the hatch or doorway. That will reduce the flow of warm air from the living space into the attic. The foam tape is cheap, and in this application, it will last a very long time (assuming this door or hatch is not used frequently).

While you have the hatch open anyway, apply a few layers of extruded polystyrene foam board to the top side of the hatch panel. 20-25 cm (8-10 inches) of thickness is the target, to get us up to at least R-40 worth of insulation. That's the minimum we want above our living space as insulation.

Reducing the air flow and the heat flow via the weather sealing and insulation will reduce the amount of heating fuel used, and in turn reduce the associated greenhouse gas emissions. It will also reduce your fuel bill.

Finally, while you can poke your head into the attic space, have a look around (likely requires a flashlight), and see how much insulation is up there, and what kind (e.g., fibreglass batts, rolls or blown; blown cellulose; rock wool) and how deep it is. We'll continue tomorrow.


2010.01.17

Seal the envelope (1). Fireplace. In previous posts I have presented several ideas on how to obtain free heat. Now, I will shift the focus to how we can keep the heat in.

The outside of your building - the walls, doors, windows, roof, foundation, etc. - is called the building envelope. It's what goes around the package of value - your home. Unless you have one of those rare homes designed to be energy-efficient, odds are there are a lot of small holes in your building envelope. Added up, they constitute a big hole, typically a square foot or more in size. That means you are heating a lot of air that is leaving the building, costing you money and providing you with no benefit. That hole also represents a draft that likely makes you feel cold, causing you to turn up the thermostat, further increasing your heating bill.

If you have a fireplace, the chimney is a large hole in your roof. Warm air will exit the building by rising up the chimney, abetted by any winds that effectively suck heated air out the top. Blocking that hole is the best solution. One way to do this is to build a solid barrier that you can place in front of the fireplace opening, and creating a seal against drafts.

One approach is to start with a piece of plywood larger than the opening by at least 5 cm (2 inches) on each side and the top. Cut extruded polystyrene foam boards to fit the inside of the opening, then attach those to the plywood (centred side-to-side and flush at the bottom). Go as thick (deep) with the foam board as practical, even if that means 2, 3 or 4 layers of foamboard. Dress the back side of the 3 edges with gasketing material, or crushable fabric. Decorate the front as desired, possibly adding handles to make it easier to insert and remove the covering. This fireplace cover will greatly reduce heat loss through your fireplace by providing an air barrier and insulation. If you currently have an open fireplace, this measure could significantly reduce your heating fuel use, your heating bill, and greenhouse gas emissions.


2010.01.16

Free heat: know what isn't. It's only free heat if you aren't paying extra for its use. So, while your television may be kicking 10 or 20 watts of heat into your house when it is supposedly 'off', that's not free heat. You pay for the electricity that produces that waste heat, even though you get no benefit from it. So, instead of wasting that electricity, disconnect your 'instant-on' from the power source so they are really off, and reduce your household electrical use, the associated electrical bill, and the upstream greenhouse gas emissions created to produce that electricity.


2010.01.15

Driving energy tip. If you drive a vehicle with an automatic transmission, when you are stopped at a red light, and will be for some time, shift into park. When the light for the opposing traffic turns to amber, in preparation for your green, shift back into drive. Based on my experience in the past couple of days with the ScanGaugeII, my fuel consumption drops by at least 10% when I am in park, compared to being in drive with the brake on and not moving.

I know it's not where you consume the majority of your fuel, but it is a place where you can easily save 10% of your greenhouse gas emissions by reducing your fuel consumption with a simple driving behaviour change - no investment required. You are not getting any additional benefit from burning 10% more fuel while you are not moving anyway.


2010.01.14

Free heat from decor. Decor is largely a matter of aesthetics and personal taste. However, in your rooms with sun-facing windows, you can enhance your solar gain. As sunlight strikes lighter colours and glossy surfaces, more of it is reflected than absorbed, and some will be reflected back out of the room. However, when sunlight strikes dark colours and matte surfaces, more of the light is converted to infrared (heat) energy. By putting darker colours where the sun strikes, and lighter colours on the walls around the windows, there should be a small heat gain as a result.


2010.01.13

Send the heat where it is needed. If you have a central heating system, adjust the airflow by room via the registers. For example, we have small bathrooms, but they get the same size registers as the larger rooms in our house. So, we adjust the registers in the small rooms to reduce the air flow there. There is also a walk-in closet which gets the same register size as the large bedroom it serves. So, reduce the closet air flow, but let the bedroom get full air flow.

It's common practice to put registers under large windows, because windows tend to be the coldest places in the house. However, some window coverings and treatments extend out to cover the register. In those cases, use an air deflector to push the warm air into the room, instead of trying to heat the window. The deflectors are typically less than $5 at hardware stores, or you can fashion your own. The key to effective use of the heat you are paying for is to benefit from it. As you don't spend your time between the window and the curtains, there is no value in putting the heat there. Send it into the room where you are.


2010.01.12

Winter driving energy tip. Don't wait for your car to warm up.

On these cold winter mornings, it's so tempting to push a button to start your car, so it's warm and toasty when you get into it. However, modern cars don't need to warm up before being driven. The engine and drive train will loosen up more quickly when being driven - that's when they produce more heat, and the motion will heat up the transmission fluid and engine oil more quickly than idling.

As for that pesky frost build-up on the inside of your windshield, just leave the driver door window down a crack when you park your vehicle. This allows the moist air in the heated cabin to escape while the car is parked. Next day, no interior frost build-up.

Of course, it does mean dressing for the weather, and not summer-time conditions while driving. I hope if more people are dressed for the actual outdoor conditions, perhaps they'll actually take 2 minutes to clear the snow off their windows. Removing the snow will reduce vehicle weight and improve the aerodynamics, improving your fuel economy. It also means you won't be creating a mini-blizzard for those behind you for the first couple of kilometres that you drive.

An engine running at high idle will burn 3 litres of gasoline, or more, per hour. (My van uses over 4, according to my ScanGuageII.) If you let your vehicle warm up for 20 minutes before driving away, that's 2.3 kg of CO2 created each time. With gasoline at $0.966 a litre (the price I saw yesterday), that's about a dollar out of your pocket each time you indulge in that little luxury.

If you burn a litre a day warming up your car for 90 days out of the year, that's $90 in your pocket, and possibly almost a 5% reduction in your vehicle-related greenhouse gas emissions for the year (assumes 2,000 litres annual gasoline consumption for the vehicle, averaging 10 litres/100 km, and 20,000 km driving per year).


2010.01.11

Still more free heat. Laundry day. It's not a day conducive to hanging out laundry to dry; cold and snowy. So, the electric clothes dryer will see duty today. It is vented indoors into an air space in our basement during the winter. That way, we are not sending the heat energy we paid for outside, when we can benefit from it and the humidity inside our home. Do NOT do this with natural gas dryers due to carbon monoxide poisoning issue. Also, take care to point the hot, humid dryer exhaust to an open space to avoid condensation issues. We also use an additional lint catcher (old pantyhose) to reduce the lint dust coming into the basement.

(2010) Editorial aside. Read this [dead link: http://www.ottawasun.com/comment/editorial/2010/01/11/12415526-sun.html] editorial comment titled 'Green, but not lean' by Lorrie Goldstein in today's Ottawa Sun. Regarding the bit about the hydrogen buses, well, the best I can do is refer you to my book, The Emperor's New Hydrogen Economy. As for government good intentions, that's the reason this Web site is aimed at consumers and citizens, not policymakers or politicians.

(Thanks for bringing this one to my attention, Harry.)


2010.01.10

Still more free heat. Now that the sun is shining (at last, after 14 straight days of overcast here), draw back the curtains from your sun-facing windows and let that solar heating energy flow into your house. Of course, when the sun sets, you have to close the window coverings again to try to keep some of that heat in.

Windows are a major point of heat loss in most homes. While contractors will happily sell you replacement windows (and that may be justified in many cases), it's a major expense and not necessarily the best return on investment for your energy saving portfolio.

Instead, I recommend that you invest in some removable window coverings with an appreciable insulating value. Some of these approaches are not even particularly expensive to implement.


2010.01.09

Still more free heat. Do you have an oven with a self-clean feature? Is it overdue for a cleaning? This process generates a high temperature in the oven, meaning a lot of heat in your home. So, if it's overdue, why not do it this weekend? Even if you are using electricity on a time-of-use pricing plan, the weekend is off-peak hours (cheap juice).


2010.01.08

Still more free heat. Cook at home. You can save money by cooking meals at home rather than grabbing another fast food meal. You can make a more nutritious meal, and save money on the food costs. You also save on GHG emissions you likely create by driving to the restaurant or take-out place.

However, during the heating season, you also get the benefit of two uses of the heat used for cooking. Not only does it prepare your food for consumption, it displaces the heat your furnace or other heat source(s) would have produced. That saves on your heating bill, because it's heat you were producing for another reason anyway.

One thing to watch for if you use an electric stove, and are subject to time of use (TOU) pricing, also called interval pricing. Try to do your major cooking at off-peak times (e.g., weekends and holidays), and limit your range and oven use at peak price times (e.g., weekday dinner times). If you can shift your electrical usage time to off-peak times, you will save money, and in much of Canada, use a less carbon-intensive fuel for electrical generation as a result.


2010.01.07

More free heat. Anybody in your household take showers or baths? Do they use hot water? Put the stopper in the drain hole, and collect that water. Leave it in the tub until it cools to room temperature, then drain it. This will allow the heat from the water to move into the building, along with humidity, which is usually welcome indoors in the Canadian winter.

This idea does have a few drawbacks. Don't do this if you have mobile and unsupervised toddlers with access to the tub, as it presents a drowning hazard. It may require some additional tub cleaning periodically due to bathtub rings. It won't work in most dedicated shower stalls. If you have a regular humidity problem during the heating season, this may contribute to it. However, if you do try this technique, it may surprise you to see just how much water you actually use when you do take a shower!


2010.01.06

Free heat. Want some? Look around your house for it. When you are cooking potatoes, vegetables, pasta or other things cooked in water, instead of pouring the heated cooking water down the drain, drain it into a large bowl. Let the bowl sit out until it has cooled to room temperature. It will provide heat and humidity (usually welcomed in Canadian winters) into the house. Use it for watering plants or other purposes after it has cooled. Better than giving your plants cold water shock with water right out of the cold water tap. I have used large vegetable juice tins or coffee cans for this purpose, so I don't have to wash an extra dish after. Then, when the can has done its time, it can just be recycled.

Casting back to my original posting on slippers and socks, we restocked on slippers for the family today. If you have a


2010.01.05

Snow removal and heating. OK, after 13 straight days of precipitation and darn little sun, I need to talk about moving snow. First, let's start looking at options other than 5 to 12 hp, small gasoline engined contraptions that deafen the neighbours and belch smoke and toxins into the air (including greenhouse gases).

Our house, like most in my experience, was laid out with zero consideration for dealing with snow removal. Postage stamp front lawn, large driveway, a convoluted walkway, and front door shelter that harvests every drifting snowflake for metres around into a drift at our front door. The drift is of course surrounded on three sides by 2-storey walls, and the only exit point is into the prevailing wind.

Over the years, we have collected a small arsenal of snow moving weaponry. This includes a selection of scrapers and throwing shovels, a small, corded electric snowblower, and an electric garden tractor with a plow and a snowthrower. Look Ma, no gasoline! No GHGs at point of use!

However, many people don't realize that snow is a good insulator. That's why it works for igloos. So instead of just pushing it all down to street creating a visibility hazard, take some of it and pile it up around the walls of your house. It will add to the insulating effect of the structure.

And if you are moving it and placing it manually, the exercise will help warm you up, too.


2010.01.04

More on programmable thermostats. Yes, they really do save on your energy use and fuel costs. My own experience was almost a 20% year over year saving the first winter we had ours (and I would play with the previous manual thermostat daily). This is because heat loss is proportional to the difference in temperature between inside our home and outside it. Because it gets colder at night outside, the difference increases, and so does the rate of heat loss. Dial down the inside temperature at night, and the heat loss rate is reduced.

Experiment with the timing of when the heat goes down and back up, to get a feel for latency duration. It takes time to cool down and heat up the interior of your home. So try turning the heat off 30 to 45 minutes before you normally go to bed, and before the first person usually gets up in the morning. If your house is well sealed and insulated, you may find you can turn the heat down even earlier in the evening, and later in the morning.

Here's an article on [Sorry, article has succumbed to link rot: http://frugaldad.com/2008/08/28/how-to-install-programmable-thermostat/] how to install a programmable thermostat, so you can save by not having to pay someone else to install it.


2010.01.03

Programmable thermostat. OK, so you weren't happy with me this morning when the alarm went off. You got out of bed, only to think the furnace wasn't working, because you turned down the thermostat last night, and it was still that temperature when you got out of bed. Hope you had the slippers nearby. Clearly, what you need is someone to turn up the thermostat a few minutes before it's time for you to get out of your lovely, warm, cosy bed. (You did like the effect of the extra blanket though, didn't you?) Well, since nobody wants to be the first out of bed into the cold to turn the thermostat up, give that job to a machine: the programmable thermostat. It will happily stay up all night just to turn up the heat before you get up, per your instructions.

Things to look for in a programmable thermostat. They work best if your household has a regular schedule. Most work on a weekday vs. weekend schedule. If your household doesn't follow a regular schedule through the week, there are units that are programmable by day, and will permit more than 4 state changes a day (awake, leave, return, night are the typical change points). If you have a central air conditioner as well as a furnace, get a programmable thermostat that will control both. Units for base-board heaters are also available, but they tend to be a bit more spendy, but often allow you to program by room or zone, giving finer control than the centralized types.

Definitely time to get with the program! Look for coupons from your local hydro company, heating fuel supplier or local hardware stores for discounts on programmable thermostats.


2010.01.02

Blankets. Really, turn down the thermostat at night, and throw on another blanket or quilt. Comfort is not about keeping the building warm, it's about keeping you warm. Do you really get much value from having the whole house toasty all night when the only space you are occupying is in your bed? So why do you want to pay to heat the rooms you are not using? Or even the rest of the bedroom, when all that really matters is whether or not you are comfortable?

Take a blanket to the living room. On a winter evening, if you're doing your best couch potato imitation, toss a small blanket over your lap, legs and feet, and you will be amazed how much more comfortable you are, even if you turn the thermostat down another degree.

I haven't moved you out of your comfort zone yet, have I? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)


2010.01.01

Welcome to 2010 and 10n10! The germ of an idea has blossomed into a Web site, and what I expect will be a labour of love for the remainder of the year.

As most Canadians live in climes that require some degree of heating for comfort and survival at this time of year and the coming months, tips for the next little while will likely focus on reducing heating fuel use, and by extension, heating bills. Most of us use fossil fuels for our heating (heating oil, natural gas, propane, waste oil). Some of us use wood, liquid biofuel of some kind or solar, but even these are frequently backed up with a fossil heating fuel.

As we are just starting out, we'll start off slow and easy, and get to the more interesting ideas a bit later.

Slippers and socks. In our homes, heated air rises to the ceiling, leaving the colder, denser air near the floor. As a result, our feet get cold first. As our feet are also the part of our body furthest from the heart, they tend to get less warmth from blood flow, especially as we get older and blood vessels tend to constrict and reduce blood flow to the extremities. So, the first line of defense in keeping us comfortable in cooler surroundings is making sure our feet are warm and cosy. Make sure you have warm socks and slippers to insulate your feet and lower legs, and use them. Then you will still feel comfortable when you get the courage to turn down the thermostat. (It's a delightful 17 degrees Celsius in the room where I'm writing this, resplendent in my warm socks, slippers and fleece clothing.)

That wasn't such a life-shattering, end-of-life-as-we-know-it exercise, was it?


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