Ask your power company if they provide home energy audits. If they do, having one done every other year can determine updated methods for saving energy.
Install or upgrade the weather-stripping around all doors to the exterior, including that leading to the garage.
Tired of the drip-drip-drip from your faucet? Have it fixed. One drip every second can use 20 kilowatts of energy each month.
Get rid of those incandescent light bulbs! Not only do they use more electricity, but they put out more heat, resulting in higher cooling costs for your home. Switch to the compact fluorescent bulbs. In spite of their higher initial cost, they are more energy-efficient, last for years instead of months, consume little power, and generate little heat.
Add insulation or replace outdated insulation in your attic so that you have at least an insulation rating of R-21. The higher the R value, the better, so get the best you can afford at the time.
Have a programmable thermostat installed for your heating and cooling system, especially if your home is vacant most of the day. Set it to turn off a half hour before everyone leaves and to come on a half hour before anyone arrives home.
Adjust your heating and cooling thermostat to run two degrees warmer in the cooling mode and two degrees cooler in the heating mode.
Keep your thermostat at a comfortable temperature and wait rather than turning it up and down constantly. Constantly adjusting the thermostat can dramatically waste energy and increase your heating and cooling costs.
Make sure your water heater thermostat is set at the manufacturer's recommended setting. Setting it hotter wastes energy by keeping the water hot when no one is using it.
When personal computers first hit the market, many computer experts advised leaving the computer on in order to save wear and tear on the hard disk. That's not necessary with today's computer. You can either turn it off when you're not using it or use the energy-saving "sleep," "hibernate," or "standby" mode.
Seal energy leaks (this is where the energy audit in Item 1 can really help). Caulk over cracks and small holes around windows and exterior walls. Look carefully around plumbing pipes, telephone wires, dryer vents, sink and bathtub drains, and under countertops for holes and gaps and have them sealed as well.
Buy major appliances that wear the "Energy Star" sticker. Energy Star appliances meet or exceed standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Buy a front-loading washing machine. They use 50 percent less energy and one-third less water, and they remove far more water in the rinse and spin cycles, translating into big savings in dryer time.
Check for rebates whenever you install energy-saving equipment such as dishwashers and washing machines.
Ask your power company if they have any special energy-saving programs. Some programs shut down electric appliances for short periods of time during peak usage hours, hardly noticeable at the time but definitely noticeable when you get your utility bill.
Select roofing materials based on energy efficiency rather than simply on how the roof will look. Light-colored roofs and galvanized metal or cement tile roofs do the best job of reflecting the sun and cool more quickly at night.
Landscape wisely to take advantage of winter sun for heating and summer shade for cooling.
The Canada Revenue Agency warns Canadians of mail scam
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is warning taxpayers to beware of a recent scam where some Canadians are receiving a letter fraudulently identified as coming from the CRA and asking for personal information. The letter is not from the CRA. A PDF version of the letter is available on the CRA Web site at www.cra.gc.ca/alert.
The letter claims that there is "insufficient information" for the individual's tax return and that in order to receive any "claims," they will have to update their records. The letter attaches a form specifically requesting the individual's personal information in writing, via fax or email, including information on bank accounts and passports. This letter is not from the CRA and Canadians should not provide their personal information to the sender.
All taxpayers should be vigilant when divulging any confidential information to third parties. The CRA has well established practices to protect the confidentiality of taxpayers' information.
The CRA has notified the proper law enforcement authorities of this scam.
For information about this and other similar scams, or to report deceptive telemarketing activity, visit www.phonebusters.com, send an email to info@phonebusters.com, or call 1-888-495-8501.
This document is also available for download in PDF format.
To get notification by email when news releases, fact sheets, tax tips, and tax alerts are added to our Web site, subscribe to our electronic mailing list. You can also subscribe to the Media room RSS feed.
Welcome to the new year,
Resolutions abound, how many do you make and how many did you keep.
Well for me the main was to quit smoking and I started to quit back in November, Happily I am now two months smoke free and on my way to becoming a "Born Again Breather".
The weight will be lost in the summer months again as quitting has added a few pounds that was expected, spring weight training will be even more necessary now.
I hear people making lots of resolutions and commiments to loose weight, quit smoking, work harder, to better in business, have a better life, even be nicer,
But if you are one of those that has three or more all going at the same time I am sorry to say your most likley doomed to fail.
Do them one at a time, and quarterly if you have to, remember the year just started, so start with what is paramount and work through the resolution
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As a Certified Master Home Inspector we offer a level of integrity and responsibility to provide every client with an honest, impartial, and thorough home inspection. Please Call or email me
Having your property professionally inspected by Magnum Property Inspection as early as possible in the buying process could save you thousands of dollars on items which you may be able to have the seller or builder correct.
Magnum Property Inspection is a leader in property inspections, we are the only firm offering InfraRed Thermographic Inspections for Building Investigations of Roofs, HVAC, Insulation, Structure, Electrical, Moisture issues, Mold inspections and mold sampling, Indoor Air Quality, Asbestos, Radon, Lead.
We are dedicated to providing you with valuable information about your new home or commercial property.
We thoroughly inspect all major components of the subject property to expose unknown defects and advise you about future maintenance about your property once the purchase is complete.
Magnum Property Inspection will give you the information you require to make an informed decision
Our Office is Based in Kingston, Whitby and Toronto Ontario, Our area of service includes
Eastern and Central Ontario.
Our services include InfraRed , Building Investigations, Roof Inspection, Structure, HVAC,
Electrical, Insulation and private energy efficency testing for Residential, Commercial and Industrial Clients.
Enviromental Services Include Mold, Radon, Asbestos, Lead, IAQ, Allergen Inspections and sampling.
Level One Enviromental Assesments
Our Services Include:
Pre-Purchase Inspection
This type of inspection is usually preformed after a property has been on the market by a seller but before a potential buyer has taken possession of the property prior to the closing contract. The buyer will usually sign a contingency agreement with the seller prior to ordering this type of inspection. If a property fails to meet the buyers expectations as a result of the inspection, then the sale may fall through. In many cases, a buyer's Inspection will help both the buyer and seller to identify damage or other potential problems that may exist with a property so that both parties can either renegotiate the selling price or the seller's responsibility to repair the property at the seller's expense prior to the final close. Even if the seller has already preformed a seller's Inspection, buyers should still preform their own inspections to prevent "Seller's bias" in any shape or form
Warranty Inspection
This type of inspection is preformed prior to the expiration of your home warranty. It is used to take advantage of the features and benefits of your home warranty to assure that necessary repairs guaranteed under your your waranty are executed should a damage or problem be discovered.
New Construction (Builder) Inspection
This type of inspection is usually preformed immediately after your new home has been built and is considered "ready" for occupancy by the builder and appropriate legal authorities ( such as zoning or building code inspector).
Periodic Maintenance Inspections
This type of inspection is performed every two years to assure the health of your family and the safety of your real estate investment. Periodic Maintenance Inspections are necessary to assure the integrity of your structure in-between storms and droughts, to identify possible indoor pollutants (such as radon, CO, CO2, mold), to check the building's integrity that may be compromised by cracked beams or foundations, to visually inspect for wood destroying insects, and more. Any of these situations can contribute to decrease home value or pose a physical risk to your family if not identified in time.
Pre-Renovation Inspection
This type of inspection is preformed prior to engaging in any renovations of a property. Pre-Renovation Inspections help you to assess potential problems that may effect the cost or difficulty of the renovation.
Investigative Inspection
This type of inspection is most-often used when a home owner feels that a problem may exist. For example, you may want to engage in an Investigative Inspection after a heavy snow fall, extended rain fall, if you experience an odd smell in your home that cannot be identified, or if you notice unusual pest and insect activity. In many cases, Investigative Inspections can help homeowners to catch problems before they become an expensive or irreversible liability.
Thanks for going the extra mile on our inspection, We are happy you found the moisture in the living room ceiling JB
Bill if it wasn't for your expert inspection abilities we never would have known the atti was only partially insulated, you were professional in every step of the inspection. Thank Chris Jackson
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