4. Curbing the Draft (Energy Saving Tips)

Written by Homegrown | 10 February 2010
Posted in 4) Winter Wisdom

When ‘Old Man Winter’ comes knocking, there’s no mistaking it.  He brings with him a shivery cold wind that whips through every nook and cranny of your place.  It’s dark.  And it’s relentless.

Remember that there are many things you can do to heat things up without heating up the planet in the process by cranking up your thermostat.  Here are a few energy-saving tips you can start right away, followed by a few longer-term strategies:

Basic Energy-Savings Tips to get you started:

1.     Turn thermostats down at night, or when you are not there.

2.     Wear a sweater to keep thermostats down during the day as well.

3.     Use draft-preventing “snakes” at the bottom of doors.

4.     Cover windows with plastic.

5.     Open curtains to let daytime solar heat in, and close them to reduce evening drafts and heat loss at windows overnight.

6.     See list of Green Winter Tips (below) from our local Habitat for Humanity affiliate, taken from The Daily Green and the Sierra Club .

7.     See also links (below), from last year’s Winter Guide (2009), regarding Energy Saving Ideas for your home and some sustainable winter initiatives.

Links (below) from last year’s Winter Guide '09

The Everyday Environmentalist portion (from links below), has 3 sections.  The first 2 are energy saving tips for your home.  The first is low-to no cost solutions, and the second has some improvement costs but also ROIs associated with them.  The third is a list of simple things you can do in Winter to reduce your carbon footprint as you enhance your sustainable winter living.

Don’t overlook the Conserve NS link (below) also with great ‘How-to’ Energy-Savings Tips and video resources.

1. Everyday Environmentalist^™ for Winter & Home Heating
2. EnerGuide Rebates & Assessments
3. Conserve NS (How-to Energy-Savings Tips Videos)
4. Other Local Environmental Agencies

Green Tips for Winter (from Halifax Habitat for Humanity website):

Here are some ideas for a more environmentally-friendly winter season:

• If you use a de-icer on your sidewalk or driveway, look for products made from magnesium chloride instead of sodium chloride (salt) or calcium chloride.  Magnesium chloride melts ice at temperatures as low as minus 17 degrees (salt stops working at 15 degrees above zero) and does less damage to concrete, your car and surrounding plants.
• Winterize your vehicle by checking your air filter and fluid levels, checking tires for tread wear and proper inflation, and checking the condition of your windshield wipers.
• If you have a wood-burning fireplace, save your ashes in a tin instead of throwing them away. Cold wood ashes can be mixed in your compost heap to create a valuable soil amendment that provides nutrients to your garden.
• If you must use power snow removal products, choose electric rather than gasoline-powered ones. While electric products consume energy, they do not emit greenhouse gases. 
• Start by setting your thermostat to 68°.  Your heating system will operate less and use less energy. Turn your thermostat down 5° at night or when leaving your home for an hour or more.
• In the winter  make the most of natural sunlight by opening window coverings on south-facing windows to warm your home.  Also, consider closing window coverings in rooms that receive no direct sunlight to insulate from cold window drafts. At night, close window coverings to retain heat.
• If you use a dishwasher, skip the heated dry cycle.