Green Living Toronto

10 smart eco-upgrades

Solar panels aren't the only reno that can help the environment. Here are some easy, cost-effective eco-upgrades to shrink your carbon footprint.

Seventeen per cent of greenhouse-gas emissions are generated from energy consumed in the home, according to Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency. Compared with standard new homes built to minimum building code requirements, an Energy Star (ES)-qualified home reduces energy use by about 30 per cent every month. More than 50,000 homes in Ontario alone are built to ES standards, including every single-detached home built by Reid’s Heritage Homes, based in Cambridge, Ont.

“Consumers have stopped basing upgrade decisions on payback,” says Laura Martin, senior market research analyst, product development, at Reid’s, which was named the 2007 Green Builder of the Year by the Ontario Home Builders Association and won three trophies at this year’s EnerQuality Awards. “Green is everywhere, so now they’re seeking out these products and upgrades.”

Still, it helps to get a sense of cost/benefit when it comes to green upgrades. From basic to elaborate, here are 10 smart upgrades.

Low-E argon windows   
Extra cost: 10%   
Benefits: Reduces heat loss/gain by 20%; reduces condensation and prevents mildew. Pays for itself in less than one year.

R-50 attic insulation (building code: R-40)    
Extra cost: $400 (for 1,200 sq. ft.)   
Benefits: 33% more energy-efficient. Pays for itself in less than one year.

2" foam insulation under basement slab
Extra cost: $2,200 (for 1,200 sq. ft.)
Benefits: Reduces heat loss by 25%. Pays for itself in four years.

Drain water heat-recovery system   
Extra cost: $1,000 (can also rent)   
Benefits: Recovers 80% of hot-water energy; thermal energy is recycled to save up to 40% on heating costs. Pays for itself in less than five years.

Real-time electricity monitor
Extra cost: $150
Benefits: Helps you reduce electricity usage by up to 20% by tracking energy use per kilowatt-hour; also tracks greenhouse-gas emissions. Pays for itself in less than one year.

Programmable thermostat  
Extra cost: $60   
Benefits: Reduces heating and cooling costs by up to 40%; reduces air pollution. Pays for itself in less than one year.

Bamboo flooring
Extra cost: None. Same as midline hardwood (about $6 per sq. ft.)
Benefits: 27% harder than red oak and 7% harder than maple for more durability; bamboo is sustainable, regenerating itself in four years compared with a 50-year hardwood cycle. Pays for itself immediately.      

Tankless hot-water heater   
Extra cost: $500 to $1,500, depending on size (can also rent)
Benefits: Reduces electricity usage by 15% by heating water on demand rather than continuously heating water in a large tank. Pays for itself in four to seven years.

Dual-flush toilet
Extra cost: $100
Benefits: Reduce water usage by 26% by choosing the amount of water needed per flush. Pays for itself in less than one year.

Hydronic radiant in-floor heating
Extra cost: $700 per 100 sq. ft.   
Benefits: Provides even heat and eliminates drafts; keeps warm air at floor level, as opposed to ceiling, which means temperature can be set lower than forced-air systems for energy reduction; long lifespan (more than 50 years); quiet. Pays for itself in 10 years.

 

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More and more households are choosing green power for their homes!

Conventional electricity production is among the largest industrial sources of carbon dioxide, a primary greenhouse gas that is linked to climate change. Bullfrog Power is a leading provider of 100% green electricity and is stirring up a little green competition for the greenest street in Toronto. www.BullFrogPower.com

See who's in the lead for using Bullfrog green power...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Welcome to the City of Toronto's one-stop resource for living friendly. Here, you'll discover hundreds of easy ways you can contribute to a healthier planet. Get inspired. Get motivated. Get a rebate! Take one more small step to living green today!  go to website

 

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In need of a green living makeover?

From trimming food to reducing water waste, here are five easy actions and good habits to embrace.

 

Are you planning to green your life but aren’t sure where to begin? Here are five of the most effective steps you can take to benefit yourself and the environment. There’s no time like the present to get started.

 

Become a do-it-yourselfer!

 

For the David Suzuki Foundation’s Queen of Green, Lindsay Coulter, green resolutions start in the home—and many of these begin in the kitchen. That’s where Ms. Coulter mixes up concoctions for home cleaning supplies, toiletries, bird feeders, and even cat litter.

 

“It’s really easy and super cheap to make your own, and the concoctions work better than store-bought [options], minus the toxic chemicals, fragrances and dyes,” says Coulter.

 

Studies show the average American household uses 40 pounds of chemicals each year to clean their homes, and that chemical compounds from home cleaning products wind up in local streams and rivers. Here’s yet another reason to mix your own: toxic exposure from chemicals inside dwellings is two to five times higher than outdoors.  
 
Cut down on food waste

 

Nationally, Canadian homes throw out up to 14 million tons of food annually, estimated to be worth $3 to $5 billion. In Toronto alone, residential food waste exceeds 200 million kilograms per year, most of that edible. Although composting in a municipal bin is a step in the right direction, it still means emissions from trucking and storage in landfill sites. (Not to mention the energy it took to produce the food in the first place.)

 

By eliminating food waste, Canadians can prevent the release of greenhouse gases. One estimate puts the savings at between nine to 15 million tonnes annually.

 

Reduce your virtual water footprint

 

The water we use in our households every day (an average of 100 litres per shower, 20 litres per flush of the toilet) represents only three per cent of the water we consume. The remaining 97 per cent comes in the form of our virtual water footprint—the amount of water used to produce the products we consume every day, including food. A few examples: 16,000 litres of water is required to produce one kilogram of beef; it takes 140 litres to produce one cup of coffee.

 

Calculating your virtual water footprint and making small changes, such as eating a meat-free meal every week, can help save valuable water resources here and around the globe. Visit waterfootprint.org and select “your footprint calculator.”

 

Get outside

 

“There is actual biological value in having experiences with nature, value that is measurable and quantifiable,” writes David Suzuki. He references a recent British study showing the bigger and more biological diverse a park was, the greater the sense of health and well-being experienced by participants who visited it. “General health, mental fatigue and physical injury all recover faster when patients have access to natural areas.”

 

The Suzuki Foundation’s Coulter suggests not only getting outside more often, but also doing it closer to home. After all, studies indicate aviation accounts for four to nine per cent of total climate change from human activity.

 

Think big

 

Coulter also suggests that people need to “move beyond tips” when it comes to green behaviour. “Ask yourself, ‘can I go deeper?’ in making changes. Individuals can really make a difference when you get down to the root of why you consume, when we know stuff doesn’t make us happy,” she says.

 

According to David Suzuki’s Green Guide, reducing your consumption by one kilogram can save approximately 200 kilograms of natural resources and prevent 200 kilograms of waste and pollution.

 

For green news, tips, innovations, debate and more visit Canada's greenlivingonline.com.