Family shows it's easy to go green

Local family shows it's easy to go green. Greening your house doesn't have to be expensive. Stock image

That was in 2000 and today, the Gao family vows to keep their first impression of their new country intact by living as green as possible in their home and lives.

"We are all nature lovers," Gao said. "Green living means a healthy lifestyle, a brighter future and it saves energy, money and our planet."

Gao said his family began by greening their townhome and saved hundreds of dollars by doing simple energy-saving things. This summer, they became homeowners and expect to save more by implementing even more green initiatives.

Gao is so passionate about living green that he runs his own website (www.greennature.ca) where people can learn a multitude of greening tips to implement in their own lives. However, Gao said he understands why some people may be apprehensive about going green.

"People are sometimes intimidated to do simple things to go green and the No. 1 reason is probably that people don't feel it's convenient," Gao said. "It also may be that they lack the knowledge or spirit of going green or maybe they don't have the time or money."

January has always been the month where people typically are looking to save money. It's also a time when people resolve to make changes in their lives so this month is a great time to make your life, and your home, more green.

So where does one begin?

Many people think it's difficult and expensive to start making green choices, but it doesn't have to be, Gao said.

To make it simple, start at your front door.

In the colder months, heating our home can be costly, just like the air conditioner in the summer, so it's important to keep the heat in, said Ruth Covich, director of corporate marketing at the Ontario Power Authority.

"When Ontarians think about conserving, the majority think about turning off the lights or using energy-efficient light bulbs, but they don't think about other things such as weatherproofing their homes..." she said. "Our research shows only 12 per cent of people are doing that as a way to conserve energy, but it's so important in the wintertime."

So weather stripping is crucial to make sure there are no drafts around your door frames. Use caulking or foam around windows, ceiling fans and any other cracks you find. Covich said people shouldn't forget to weatherproof their garage doors especially if the garage is attached to the home.

Gao said if you don't have a programmable thermostat, buy one and lower the thermostat by a few degrees during the winter. And if you don't have foam or caulking, using green painter tape to seal window gaps works just as well.

Also, insulate power outlets and other sockets using foam pads. Gao said this is really important if the walls are not insulated, and fill in cracks around pipes and other openings on the outside walls of your home.

If you haven't done so already, Covich said using energy-efficient light bulbs are simple to install and turn off appliances and things such as computers and televisions when they're not in use.

"A growing number of household electrical devices are designed to draw power 24 hours a day, seven days a week so even when these appliances are turned off, they're not really turned off and they're sucking electricity, and that's what we refer to as standby or phantom power," Covich said.

Phantom power resides in things like clocks, timers, touch pads and one of the biggest culprits, battery chargers. Covich said so many things like cellphones require batteries to be recharged, but when the chargers are left in the outlet they still draw power.

"Pull them out when you're finished using them or connect them all to a power bar so that you can control all of these devices with the power bar, so when you turn it off all these other devices are turned off as well," she said.

Covich said there are even power bars that have integrated timer systems in them so if people feel it may be an inconvenience to turn everything off and on, this power bar can be programmed to turn on at your convenience, which will save a lot of money and electricity.

"Up to 10 per cent, and sometimes even more, of electricity consumed in homes is consumed by power appliances and home electronics when they're on standby or not being used, so there is potential for huge savings on electricity if they use an integrated power bar," she said.

And if you haven't already, Covich said get rid of that old second refrigerator or freezer in the basement

"These old refrigerators and freezers account for the greatest amount of electricity consumption in the home because they are on 24 hours a day," she said. "People can save up to $150 dollars a year just by getting rid of their old energy-guzzling fridge and freezers."

Run your major appliances at off-peak hours (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) Covich said when you run appliances like a dishwasher, for example, wait until it's full. Also, use cold water when doing your laundry and hang your clothes up instead of using the dryer.

Gao said hanging your laundry is a great way to help humidify your home in the winter and Covich said the second biggest energy guzzler is the dryer, so hanging up your clothes will save you money.

And don't forget about water conservation.

Gao said you should repair leaks and leaky toilets immediately and remember to do the basics like don't leave the tap running when washing vegetables or dishes, shaving or brushing your teeth. And if you can, replace old toilets and shower heads with water-saving ones.

After you've done these basic things, you can always aspire to doing bigger and long-term things to green your home. Purchasing energy-efficient appliances, like Energy Star, will garner huge savings and is a great next step.

"Although some Energy Star appliances may be slightly more expensive, over the life of the appliance Ontarians would save and get their money back significantly," Covich said.

This includes your refrigerators and freezers, dishwasher and laundry machine, printers and ceiling fans. Covich said Energy Star computers use 70 per cent less electricity. As well, if you invest in an Energy Star water heater, the savings on average are up to 50 per cent.

Covich said another thing to consider is getting an eco energy home audit, where someone comes into your home and identifies places that could be fixed or improved to be energy efficient.

She said banks are now offering inexpensive loans to enable people to fix the trouble spots and some banks even cover the entire cost of the audit if the consumer takes out a loan.

Also, Covich said the Ontario government provides a rebate on the cost of the audit and grants to help cover the cost of repairs.

"There are two benefits for the consumer. They can save money on their bills and they can do their part to help impact the environment in a responsible way because using less...helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," she said.