As I unpacked the family car from a recent summer road trip through B.C.’s hot Southern Interior, I was looking forward to the feel of my cool, air-conditioned home. But as I entered my living room, something was off. The warm ozone smell of a pending summer storm was permeating the cooled air. This should not be happening.
I quickly checked all the doors and windows for the offending opening. Sure enough, the window in my teenage son’s room was wide open. The vent below his window pushed cold air up through the floor as the air conditioner unit churned aggressively just outside the open window. Had this window really been open the whole weekend we were away?
Saving energy is second nature in our house. In fact, over the last 15 years, a large part of my day-to-day job has revolved around helping our customers find ways to reduce their energy use to manage bills and lessen our collective impact on the environment. It was very humbling that my own household remains susceptible to such a basic mistake.
What also struck me is what a difference one open window can make to the comfort inside my home. And all those gaps and cracks inside our homes, especially in older ones like my 40-year-old rancher, can add up to a fair-sized hole, just like that open window on a hot summer weekend.
When dreaming about my next renovation, I’m the first to admit I’m focused on how great the latest kitchen and bathroom trends would look inside my home. But this experience really got me thinking about how great an insulation upgrade would feel inside my home.
Like a cozy blanket in the winter, or a well-loved shade tree in the summer, insulation creates a protective barrier that helps regulate your home's temperature when it’s freezing or scorching hot outdoors.
In fact, insulation can be the unsung hero of a comfortable home. It prevents air from escaping through walls, attics and basements which results in your heating and cooling systems working extra hard to maintain the temperature settings. That adds up to higher energy use on your next bill. Instead, by reducing this strain, proper insulation can help lower your energy bills.
Although I’d like to think of myself as a savvy do-it-yourselfer, insulating a home is best left to the experts. Trained, experienced contractors help make sure the insulation and supplementary products (such as vapour barrier) are installed properly and provide the correct resistance to air loss (known as R-Value) for your climate zone and the unique characteristics of your home. Getting it wrong can result in mould, mildew and drafts; essentially a home that’s less safe and comfortable.
Another perk to a professional insulation upgrade over a shiny new bathroom (although I haven’t given up hope) is that you can get help covering the cost through rebates. Depending on how many areas of your home you’re upgrading and the square feet of insulation required, you could get up to $5,800 in rebates. And that old window? There’s a rebate for that, too. Be sure to check out fortisbc.com/rebates before you start to make sure you qualify for the full amounts.
As for my teenager with the open window? Being greeted by an onslaught of warm air in his normally comfortable bedroom was a great learning opportunity for him, and one he would like to avoid in future.
Nicole Brown
Nicole Brown, communications manager, FortisBC, has been helping build awareness around energy efficiency and conservation since 2009, and sees this as the essential first step lowering personal energy costs and meeting collective climate action goals. Have an energy-efficiency topic you’d like covered? Email conversations@fortisbc.com.
