Eco living tips

In the effort to create a sustainable energy market for Ontario, there are simple ways for our customers to go green one action at a time. By participating in becoming ecologically aware of the way energy is used you are becoming an active participant in the Government of Ontario's Culture of Conservation initiative. You can take the going green initiative wherever you go. Whether at home, school, work or within the community, conserving energy can be a continuous process that you and your family participate in.

Electricity: Home and Office

Heating and Cooling Your Home

• Install a programmable thermostat.
• Clean or replace furnace / air conditioning filter monthly with reusable filters, to ensure your system's efficiency.
• Check your outside air conditioning unit for clogs to ensure air can flow freely through vents.
• Use fans as a cool alternative to air conditioning.
• In the summer, draw your blinds during the day to block the warming effects of direct sunlight. In the fall and winter, open drapes on sunny days to let the warming rays in. At night close your drapes and blinds to keep the heat in.
• Seal the gaps by using weather stripping and door sweeps to seal doors and reduce drafts.

                                                                                                                                  Click the image above for a complete Heating  and Cooling Guide. 

Illustration adapted from Heating and Cooling Your Home: A Conservation Guide – Ministry of Natural Resources Canada, 2004.  

Fact: For every degree your air conditioner is set below 24°C, you will use 3-5% more energy.

Home and Work Office

• Turn off your computer and any other office equipment when you're not using them.
• Print only what is necessary.
• If replacing any electronic equipment consider buying an Energy Star model.
• Choose a flat-panel LCD computer monitor as they use less energy than CRT monitors.
• If a room or area is not being used, turn off the lights.
• Use task lighting instead of overhead lighting.
• Use natural sunlight in place of electric lighting as much as possible.

Fact: A computer monitor uses 75% of the total energy used to run a computer.

Laundry

• Wash and rinse clothes in cold water.
• Always fill up the washing machine with a full load or set to half or light load setting.
• Use your washer or dryer after 8pm to help reduce the strain on the electricity system.
• Consider purchasing an energy star laundry appliances when it comes time to buy new laundry appliances.
• Consider using an environmentally friendly laundry detergent or dryer sheet.
• Wring out or spin dry clothes as much as possible before drying.
• Use a clothesline to dry clothes and linens instead of a dryer.
• After every load be sure to clean the lint filter as clogged filters could use up to 30% more electricity.

Fact: When washing in warm or hot water, 85-90% of the energy used is consumed to heat the water.

 

Refrigerator and Freezer

• Take advantage of the Great Refrigerator Roundup program and dispose of your old fridge for free.
• Check the seal of your refrigerator by closing the door on a piece of paper. If you can pull the paper out easily, you may need to replace the door gasket.
• Every three months, dust or vacuum your refrigerators coils and air intake grill to ensure your refrigerator operates efficiently.
• Defrost and clean your freezer annually or if ice builds up to a ¼ inch on the inside of the unit. Built up ice acts as an insulator and causes your appliances to work harder.
• Keep a space of at least five centimetres all around your refrigerator to ensure heat will be able to move away.
• Keep your refrigerator or freezer full without overcrowding. Use water containers or bags or ice to fill empty space.

Fact: The ideal temperature for your freezer is -18°C. It will use almost 2% more electricity for each degree below -18°C.

 

PHANTOM LOADS - are pieces of electronic equipment that continue to use electricity even when they are in a "Stand-By Mode" or "Shut Off".

• Use a power bar to plug in phantom loads and turn the bar off when they are not in use.
• Unplug rarely used appliances / chargers before you leave on vacation or are away for the day.
• Buy energy efficient appliances that bear the Energy Star label.

Fact: The average Canadian home contains 20 phantom loads accounting for approximately 10% of the electricity used in your home or $200 a year.

Indoor and Outdoor Water Use

Washroom

• Install a low-flow aerator on your taps adding air to your water stream, reducing your water consumption by as much as 50%.
• Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth and save up to 8 litres of water a minute.
• Partially fill the sink to wash or shave rather than running the tap continuously. This conserves about 60% of the water normally used.
• Promptly repair any leaks in and around taps and toilets. Most leaks are simple and inexpensive to repair.
• Install a low-flow showerhead and conserve water by at least 25%. A family of four could save more than an average swimming pool full of water a year.
• Take quick showers under five minutes, and have showers instead of baths.
• If water runs constantly due to the toilet flush handle frequently sticking in the flush position, replace or adjust it.
• Install a low-flush toilet and use 6 litres or less per flush reducing your water usage by 40% to 50%.
• Check for leaks in your toilet tank fittings by putting a small amount of food colouring into the tank. Wait 15 minutes. If the colour has spread to the bowl without flushing you have a leak that needs repairing.
• Replace older, larger-use toilets with the newer ultra-low flush models. Standard toilets manufactured prior to the 1980's usually require 15 to 20 litres per flush. Toilets sold during the 80's and early 90's use 13 litres per flush. New low flow toilets use 6 litres or less per flush.

Fact: Water used in the bathroom accounts for approximately 65% of the water used inside your home.

 

Laundry

• When replacing a washing machine consider purchasing a front-loading model. Frontload washers use up to 40% less water than top-load washers.
• Switching to a concentrated liquid laundry detergent, which has less water concentration, will conserve water in the manufacturing process and creates less packaging waste for the environment.

Fact:  By washing only full loads, the average family could save 2,000 litres of water a month, as well as a lot of energy.

 

Kitchen

• Install a low-flow aerator on your taps adding air to your water stream, reducing your water consumption by as much as 50%.
• When washing dishes by hand, don't let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
• Don't let the water run while you're cleaning fruits and vegetables. Washing them in a partially filled sink saves up to 5 litres of water each time.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator rather than running tap water until it is cool enough to drink.
• Rather than letting water run while you wait for it to heat up, collect the water in a pitcher or bowl and use it to water plants or wash vegetables and fruits.
• Washing full loads rather than half loads in the dishwasher and save up to 10,000 litres of water a year. To further cut your water use, choose the short cycle or install a high-efficiency model.

Fact: When buying a new dishwasher, consider purchasing a water-saving model and cut your water use by 25 percent.

 

Lawn and Pool care

• Lawns and gardens require only 5 millimetres (1/2 centimetre) of water per day during warm weather and even less is needed during spring and fall. Don't over-water in anticipation of a shortage. Soil cannot store extra water.
• To avoid water loss due to evaporation, water only during the cool part of the day, in the morning or evening
• Collect rain water in a container that is outfitted with a spigot and a suitable cover and use the water on your garden. Rain water is actually better for your plants as it does not contain any chlorine and is at ambient temperature. Keep your rain container covered to prevent mosquito breeding and for safety reasons.
• Use a cover for your pool and hot tub to reduce water loss due to evaporation and check your system regularly for leaks.

Fact: Keeping your lawns healthy and maintaining a height of 6.5 centimetres saves water because taller grass holds water better.

 

Washing Your Car

• Rather than using a running hose use a bucket with a sponge.
• Wash your car on your lawn, watering your lawn and eliminating water loss due to evaporation on your driveway.

 

Fuel, Plastics and the Environment

Fuel Tips

• Servicing your vehicle on a regular basis will ensure your vehicle is more efficient.
• Accelerate gradually as rapid acceleration and sudden starts can decrease your vehicles fuel economy by up to 20%.
• Avoid idling when in line at the drive thru. Turn your vehicle off or park and place your order inside.
• When looking for a new vehicle, consider purchasing a hybrid.
• Consider walking, biking or bussing to your destination.
• Open your windows when driving through the city and turn your air conditioner on when driving on highways.

Fact: Every 100 kilograms of unnecessary weight adds half a litre per 100 kilometres to your vehicle's fuel consumption.

 

Plastics

Safer and Recyclable plastics:

• #2 High Density Polyethylene
  

  Common use: milk jugs, toys, liquid detergent bottles and shampoo bottles.
  Safe because: these plastic containers transmit no known chemicals into your food and are generally recyclable.

• #4 Low Density Polyethylene
  

  Common use: food wraps, sandwich bags, freezer bags and grocery bags.
  Safe because: recyclable.

• #5 Polypropylene
  

  Common use: reusable containers, margarine containers, rope, carpet, syrup bottles, yogurt cups/tubs, diapers.
  Safe because: these plastics transfer no known chemicals into your food and are generally recyclable.

• #1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE)
  

  Common use: one time products such as bottled drink containers, salad dressing bottles, mouth wash, ketchup, etc.
  Safe because: all are recyclable.

• PLA (Polylactide) are made from renewable resources high in starch content such as corn.

  Safe because: these containers can be composted in a municipal composter or backyard compost heap.

 

Plastics to Avoid:

• #3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
  

  Common use: shower curtains/liners, reusable lunch bags, food packing, meat wrap, children's toys, building and plumbing materials.
  Unsafe because: they give off chemicals that are harmful to human development and carcinogenic.

• #6 Polystyrene

  Common use: disposable coffee cups, clam-shell take out containers, disposable plastic, cutlery.
  Unsafe because: they may leach styrene, a possible endocrine disruptor and human carcinogen, into water and food.

• Polycarbonate
  

  Common use: baby bottles, some reusable water bottles, stain resistant food storage containers, medical storage containers.
  Unsafe because: they contain hormone disruptor bisphenol-A, which leaches out as bottles age, are heated, or exposed to acidic solutions.

 

Safety Tips for plastics

• If there is a hint or smell of plastic in your water, don't drink it.
• Keep bottles away from heat to prevent leaching of chemicals.
• Use bottled water quickly as chemicals may migrate from plastic during storage.
• Do not reuse water bottles intended for single use as reused water bottles make good breeding grounds for bacteria.
• Choose rigid, reusable containers, stainless steel and ceramic interiors for storing food and beverages.

 

Buying Green

• Start using a reusable bag or tote.
• Consider buying loose produce rather than packaged.
• Start buying locally at farmers markets. 
• When buying school or office supplies consider buying recycled products such as paper, pens, pencils and binders.

 

Refer to the following websites for programs and rebates that can help you "Green Your Home":

Ontario Home Energy Audit - www.homeenergyontario.ca

EcoEnergy Program - www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/retrofit-summary.cfm

Residential Retail Sales Tax Rebates - www.trd.fin.gov.on.ca

The Great Refrigerator Roundup - http://everykilowattcounts.ca/residential/roundup/

Peaksaver ^TM- www.everykilowattcounts.com/peaksaver

Cool Savings Rebate - www.everykilowattcounts.com/coolsavings