Category Archives: Green Energy

Posted on August 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

More Canadians Staying At Home For Summer Vacation

A recent BMO Bank of Montreal survey has found that more Canadians are taking “staycations” as opposed to spending big bucks on extravagant vacations abroad.

“Staycation”, the act of staying at home for your vacation as opposed to traveling, was recently added the the Oxford English dictionary. It’s also gaining in popularity with Canadians, as 43 per cent of Canadians decided to stay close to home this year, spending money on movies, concerts or sporting events. Only 17 per cent of Canadians surveyed traveled abroad.

Depending on your backyard setup, a staycation can be the perfect way to enjoy the sumer without spending too much. However, BMO also recommends homeowners try to cut out unnecessary spending like dinners or lunches out as well as that daily venti caramel macchiato, putting the funds in an automatic savings plan instead to save up for that trip abroad.

This site is owned & operated by: Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd Johnston & Daniel Division,477 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto, Ontario, M4S 2L9, 416.489.2121. The content is provided by a number of sources as referenced in the contribution list.

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Posted in Green Energy, Mortgage Information, Muddy York Quick Tip

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What’s The Germiest Place In Canadian Homes?

Posted on August 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

It’s almost cold and flu season, and a study on household hygiene has found that Canadians don’t pay as much attention as they should to their dish towel cleanliness.

Dishtowels in the 20 Canadian homes and nearly 200 surveyed around the world by the Hygiene Council were found to be covered in more bacteria than the bathroom floor.

The Hygiene Council is an organization composed of specialists in various fields like public health, virology and infectious diseases. The Council recommends air-drying dishes, washing dishtowels in the laundry or in the dishwasher on a daily basis, and using separate towels for hands or wiping down sticky toddler faces.

When compared to homes from other countries, Canadians had cleaner refrigerators and bathtubs than most. However, 20 per cent of our dishtowels were infested with bacteria, with one in 10 dish towels containing E. coli bacteria. Sponges and rags used for cleaning are also covered in more germs than anywhere else in a home.

According to the Hygiene Council, some good came from the 2002 SARS outbreak because ever since then, Canadian hands have never been cleaner. Canadian computer keyboards, computer mice and tea kettle handles – things we touch with our hands – all turned up spotless, probably thanks to frequent hand washing.

 

This site is owned & operated by: Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd Johnston & Daniel Division,477 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto, Ontario, M4S 2L9, 416.489.2121. The content is provided by a number of sources as referenced in the contribution list.

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Posted in General Information, Green Energy

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EcoEnergy Retrofit Rebate Program Returning?

Posted on June 16, 2011 | Leave a comment

The proposed federal budget before the recent election on May 2nd included a $400 million grant to reinstate the ecoEnergy Retrofit program for another year. The program, which expired on March 31st of this year, gave homeowners who renovated to make their homes more energy-efficient up to $5,000 in rebates.

Homeowners had to undergo a Home Energy Audit, where an auditor would come to the home and determine what energy-efficient renovations could be done. Homeowners would then make the renovations and undergo a second Home Energy Audit to qualify for the rebates. Provincial governments also had similar programs, and those who live in Ontario could have gotten up to a combined $10,000: $5,000 from the federal program and $5,000 from the Ontario Home Energy Savings Program.

The budget has already made it through the House of Commons, so it just might pass without a hitch.

Homeowners can also boost their home’s value in order to sell it at a higher price with these programs.

The Hamilton Spectator published an interesting article this week on the energy retrofit programs and the benefits and drawbacks the programs have to the renovation industry. For example, the program provides a lot of work for contractors and renovators, but the unreliable income for a Home Energy Auditor position (especially since the federal program was axed ahead of schedule last year) has sent some auditors to other jobs with more stable income.

This site is owned & operated by: Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd Johnston & Daniel Division,477 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto, Ontario, M4S 2L9, 416.489.2121. The content is provided by a number of sources as referenced in the contribution list.

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Posted in Green Energy, Renovating to Sell, renovations

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CMHC’s Healthy House: Toronto

Posted on July 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Healthy House in Toronto is one of two in the entire country. After a design competition in the early 1990s, the Healthy House was built and showcases the most green and energy-saving building opportunities available to homeowners.

The Healthy House is self-sufficient, not requiring municipal electricity or water, with reduced energy and water needs. It uses rainwater that is purified naturally, using only 120 liters of water per day for an entire family, whereas an ordinary water consumption for a similar family is 1050 liters per day.

The Healthy House also has solar panels and super-tight construction, which keeps the place insulated. On average, heating bills for the house would be less than $80 annually, and the home has some of the best indoor air quality around thanks to the materials used. Its currently under the ownership of a research company and the owner of the research company and his family has lived in it since 1996.

The CMHC promotes the use of Healthy Housing elements in everyday homes, and all one has to do is follow the key elements:

Occupant Health
Indoor air quality, healthy water and lots of lighting are important for health and well-being of human occupants.

Energy Efficiency
Because 67 per cent of home energy used in Canada is for heating and cooling, a well-insulated home will help reduce energy wasted.

Resource Efficiency
The Healthy House uses sustainable but affordable building materials while conserving energy and water.  Environmental Responsibility The Healthy House doesn’t use much land, relying on creative design to make the most of space. The landscaping of the home is also resource-efficient and considering collecting rainwater to even just water the plants or garden can go a long way.

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Government still facing criticism over cancellation of green home programs

Posted on June 18, 2010 | 1 Comment

The federal government is still receiving plenty of criticism over its choice to cancel one of its green home programs almost one year early.

In March, the government suddenly and surprisingly cancelled the ecoEnergy home rebate program at the end of March, while most homeowners were under the impression they had until March 2011 to complete the required energy audit that would qualify them for $5,000 in rebates and grants for green home renovations and the replacement of older energy-sucking appliances.

The program also created countless jobs and plenty of work for contractors who were scrambling to keep up with the demand for renovations.

One company that manufactures various forms of insulation, NAIMA Canada, told Canwest News Service in June that, “At a time when the economy is just beginning to recover from a major recession, the government has threatened to put an entire industry out of work,” they said. “This was a wonderful program that did exactly what it was supposed to do and more. It was one of the government’s most impactful programs to deal with climate change.”

According to the president of the Canadian Energy Alliance, the program saved the entire country of Canada over $300 million in energy costs thanks to all of the energy saving renovations.

The government said the program was only “suspended for further review” when it made the announcement, but there has been no news since.

The city of Ottawa has also just recently announced that they are scrapping their low-flow toilet rebate program because of changes to the Ontario Building Codes that would make them mandatory anyway, something that will eventually effect Toronto.

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Household wind turbines becoming more compatible with cities like Toronto

Posted on June 11, 2010 | Leave a comment

Harnessing wind power might be one of the most ideal ways to use green energy. The only problem is that the wind turbines themselves tend to be rather problematic. Large wind turbines are noisy, unsightly and take up a lot of space, making few people want to have them in their own backyards. Small turbines, while useful for summer cottages, couldn’t provide enough energy in the winter or handle the volatile city winds – until now.

A Canadian company called Wind Simplicity has created the Windancer, a small, convenient rooftop wind turbine that suits the city’s winds and spins slower than average to present less of a safety hazard.

The Windancer has already won the National Energy Globe Award and the Gold Design Exchange Award in engineering, but most importantly, it makes wind energy accessible for homeowners who are serious about going green on their own and don’t want to wait for a wind farm to be built nearby.

Wind is a free, pollutant-free sustainable resource. It’s a lot more reliable than most might think, as unlike the sun and solar energy, the wind tends to be more dense during the seasons where the most energy is required – such as the winter months.

The Windancer itself comes in customizable colours, doesn’t interfere with television or radio signals and is highly visible to flying wildlife like birds. It also doesn’t run very loudly and produces negligible vibrations, making it perfectly-suited for Toronto homes.

Previously, turbines like these have been far too small, expensive or difficult to install. But now, a variety of smaller-sized turbines are popping up, available for homeowners who can either go with their own affordable wind turbine or an award-winning design, such as the Windancer.

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TD Green Home Poll numbers are in

Posted on April 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

Earth Day turned 20 in Canada and 40 years old in the United States this year.   And, with the recent Earth Day celebrations taking place all over North America, it seems fitting that the TD Canada Trust Green Home Poll that was recently released shows that “green” means a lot to Canadians – either that means the green stuff in their wallets or going green for the planet.

According to the poll, for the third time in a row the amount of Canadians who think spending money on green home features boosts its value has increased, and this year it’s almost three-quarters of the total respondents. Seventy-seven per cent of the poll’s respondents cited saving money as the primary motivation for lowering their energy bills rather than being more environmentally friendly, up 12 per cent from the year prior.

The poll also found that over half of Canadians want to make use of the government energy-efficiency rebate programs, such as the provincial Ontario Home Energy Savings Program.

Other highlights from the poll include:

  • One-third of Canadians are switching out their older appliances for newer, energy-efficient appliances.
  • Almost half of Canadian homeowners appreciate the health benefits of going green.
  • One-third of Canadians are increasing the amount of weather stripping and sealant around windows or doors to increase heating efficiency.
  • Over half of Canadians have stopped using pesticides, and over half of Canadians are switching over to energy-efficient light bulbs.
  • Twenty-nine per cent of Canadians are interested in participating in an energy efficiency renovation program, but they don’t know how to start.

For those who don’t know how to start in Ontario, visit the Ontario Home Energy Savings Program site here: www.mei.gov.on.ca/en/energy/conservation/ohesp/

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CMHC Green Home refunds hit $3 million

Posted on April 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

By Diti Dumas and Morgan Dumas

At the end of March, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s refunds for their Green Home mortgage insurance program hit $3 million.

“This important achievement demonstrates the Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment to making energy-efficient homes more accessible and affordable for everyone,” said Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources of Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in a news release.

The program began in 2004 and provides eligible borrowers with a mortgage insurance premium refund of 10 per cent if the CMHC Mortgage Loan Insurance is used for an energy-efficient home or for energy-saving renovations.

According to the CMHC website, this means that a borrower with a $250,000 mortgage and a five per cent down payment would get a mortgage insurance premium refund of almost $700.

According to the CMHC, almost 20 per cent of the energy that Canadians consume is spent running their homes. Making your home more energy-efficient or buying a greener home can lead to increased savings down the road due to lower energy bills and less water consumption.

Many banks are offering similar programs for those who are refinancing their homes or are planning on buying a home, and the City of Toronto recommends asking mortgage lenders if they offer “green mortgages”.

The City of Toronto has also targeted 2050 as they year they intend to have their greenhouse gas emissions cut by at least 80 per cent. The city has also introduced a residential Toilet Replacement Program and a residential Washing Machine Rebate Program when water-conserving and energy-efficient appliances are installed. More information on these programs can be found here:

http://www.toronto.ca/livegreen/home_watersmarts.html#rebates

Diti Dumas is a Sales Representative with Royal LePage R.E.S. Ltd./JOHNSTON & DANIEL DIVISION, Brokerage.  Diti is a regular contributor to the Muddy York Blog.  Diti’s website is located at www.ditidumas.com.

Morgan Dumas is an aspiring writer and journalism student from Ryerson University in Toronto.

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Government Energy Renovation Program Suspended

Posted on April 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

On March 31, the federal government decided to suspend the Government of Canada ecoENERGY Retrofit Rebate program. While the federal government maintains the program is merely suspended for further review, the opposition has declared the program cancelled completely.

The Conservative government has said the program is merely suspended and under review. On Thursday, Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis actually said, “it’s not cancelled”.

“In a desperate attempt to free up money that would allow them to cover up their waste, the Conservatives are cutting the best environmental program we’ve got.” said Liberal MP David McGuinty during question period.

The federal ecoEnergy Retrofit program was one of three programs that would provide homeowners with grants and rebates of up to $11,000: $5,000 from the federal program, $5,000 from the provincial Ontario Home Energy Savings Program and $1,000 from the Home Energy Assistance Toronto Program.

The way the federal program worked was homeowners would undergo a home energy audit that would entitle them to the various grants and rebates they were eligible for if they completed the renovations. While homeowners originally had until March 31, 2011 to apply for their grants and rebates, because of the cancellation the program will no longer accept bookings for the audits as of March 31, the night of the announcement.

The success of the program may have well been its own demise, as the Globe and Mail had quoted McGuinty as saying the demand for the program had tripled since it was introduced. Over $300 million was budgeted for the program, but it’s speculated that this limit has already been reached.

The other provincial programs across the country, including the Ontario Home Energy Savings program and other municipal programs such as the Home Energy Assistance Toronto program will be continuing, making homeowners in the Greater Toronto Area still eligible for up to $6,000 in the GTA when they renovate their homes with energy-efficiency in mind.

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