Air sealing stops energy loss

Ottawa homeowner Ms. Lachance knew it was smart to seal off drafts to save on energy and home heating costs. Every winter, she put plastic over her windows to keep cold drafts out of her single-storey 1959 brick home.

But she wanted to do more improvements to her home, and wondered which renovations would make her home more energy efficient.

Energy audit

To learn about her home’s energy use, Lachance booked a home energy audit with a certified Ottawa Home Energy Advisor. Not only did the audit qualify her for grants and rebates from the governments of Ontario and Canada, but it taught her a lot about how she could improve her home’s energy use, and save a bundle of money in the process.

Drafty windows

For one thing, says Lachance, the Home Energy Advisor surprised her by demonstrating that the plastic she'd used to cover her windows wasn’t saving as much energy as it could. “When he did the smoke test, that was amazing,” she says, describing how her Home Energy Advisor used a “smoke pencil” to make wisps of smoke follow air currents moving around the home’s windows and doors.

Lachance says the smoke let her see exactly where the drafts were – and they weren’t where she’d thought. Instead, the drafts were actually worse above the window frames – where even the plastic didn’t reach.

When he did the smoke test, that was amazing. Ms. Lachance, Ottawa Ottawa air sealing grants

Lachance discovered if all the cracks and gaps in her home were put together, they would have made a hole measuring 109 square inches. Clearly, she needed to do some energy-saving renovations to make her home more energy efficient.

Insulation and weather stripping

To prevent the drafts from coming in around the windows, Lachance decided to air seal her home. As part of this simple process, she installed expanding foam insulation inside the window frames. She also weatherstripped and caulked around the windows themselves, and repaired her chimney to make sure no air could move through the brickwork.

Improving her air tightness by more than 10 percent meant she qualified for energy efficiency grants and rebates from the Canadian and Ontario governments, which helped offset the cost of the materials she used.

Now I’m containing the heat. Ms. Lachance, Ottawa Ottawa furnace grants

High-efficiency furnace

In addition to air sealing her home, Lachance completed her energy-saving renovations and improvements with a new high-efficiency gas furnace. The new furnace uses less natural gas than the old one, and the heat it generates keeps the home warmer because there are fewer gaps and cracks in the home, where the warm air could escape.

That not only means her home is warmer, says Lachance, but it also means her natural gas costs are lower because she’s not wasting the warm air. “Now I’m containing the heat.”

Government grants

Ottawa homeowners can choose from a shopping list of renovation grants from the Government of Canada:

Ottawa homeowners can also get ...

And there’s more.

Take advantage of Government of Canada ecoENERGY grants for home energy renovation in Ottawa:

Easy to start — Ottawa

All you do is make one call — 1-877-732-9888 — to book a home energy audit with an Ottawa Energy Advisor – your first step to qualifying for Canada ecoENERGY grants for home energy renovations.

Enjoy all the benefits

Do it right

Each Ottawa home has its own specific energy-savings needs, and yours is no different. The right renovations add up to big savings. By following the expert advice of a certified Ontario energy advisor, you’ll make the energy renovations or "retrofits" that are right for your Ottawa home — and help improve your energy costs and the Ottawa, Ontario environment.

Three easy steps

Energy renovations help ...

And that’s not all. Here are more benefits ...

When you improve your home in Ottawa, you also make a difference to the rest of the world. You’ll help address important global issues like ...

And there’s even more. Click here to learn how Ottawa homeowners like you are saving thousands of dollars and tonnes of greenhouse gases every year, by making the right energy-saving home renovations. Ottawa Ontario homeowners can make a difference.

Get started today!

Learn more about Renovation Rebates in Ottawa Ontario ...

To qualify you need a Ottawa home energy audit before your renovations. For more information on tax-free government grants + Ontario Home Energy rebates - Click here

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