Maximize energy efficiency

Action: Reduce home heating and electricity use by 10 per cent.

• Check walls, doors and windows for drafts and seal ‘em up – up to 40 per cent of heat loss is from these areas. (Don’t know how? Piece of cake! Check out this video.)

• Insulate everywhere – the roof, floors, walls, basements. It’ll keep you cool in the summer and toastier in the cold seasons.

• Any electronic gizmo that has a clock, digital timer, remote control or standby mode is sucking energy when it’s not being used (it’s called ‘phantom electricity’ – and it’s scary how much of it there is!). If you’re not using ‘em, yank ‘em!

• Set up a ‘charging station’ for equipment that needs charging – plug everything into a power bar and turn that off until you actually need to charge something.

• Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).  They’re 75 per cent more efficient than conventional bulbs.

• If you’re buying a home, be sure it meets R-2000 standards (which basically means it will use two-thirds of the energy of a conventional home). R2000 costs a little more up-front, but in the long run, the design saves money on utility bills AND boosts resale value (that’s a lot of energy saved and a wad of $$ for your wallet).

• Choose Energy Star appliances - they’re way more efficient than their ancestors. A new refrigerator, for example, uses 40 per cent less energy than a model produced before 1993 (AND saves you still more cash on utilities).

• Whenever you shop for electronics of any kind, tell sales staff you are looking for energy efficiency. The more people demand, the more pressure there is for companies to supply.

• Think twice before you buy any electronic toys and gadgets. Even though lots of us choose more efficient models, home energy use is actually increasing just because we keep loading up on more electrical devices!

• Go for a walk instead of watching TV or booting up your computer. It’ll do you and the whole planet a lot of good.

• If your city hasn’t (yet) mandated laws to reduce energy consumption, Take Action. Start a movement. It’ll be good for you, your family, your neighbors and the whole planet.

• Want more information? Visit Green Communities Canada and read David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge newsletters on this topic.

Why are these actions so important? Here’s the scoop on our gluttonous energy appetites.



Can’t get enough information? Download the Green Guide (PDF)
Need more facts? Check out Science of the Challenge (PDF)

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