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Whitby Fee Pross. Wechday, November 4.1992, Page 15 WHITBY HYDRO'S Tom Bennett mnakes like Sherlock Holmes investigatingwalys to cut home hydro.costs, during promotion of, Ontario Hydro's home power saver program.. Photo'by Matthew Stolk, Free Press co-op sbident ý,.,Check,. for signs of poor, Wood stove operation (NO) If you own a .wood steve, it should be, checked periôfdically te make, sure the- unit is oprating Wod toves that are net operaýting poel give plenty cf warning signe.,Here are a .few to watch for:' If ,there a.re ne flames. in the' fire, thon soimething is 'wrong. When .-wood burns,. it'-should' b.> flami*ng, until only charcoal' romains. If yoi firebox has -firebricki4 they ehould ho tan in colour, never black' The steel partscf the firebox should nover',ho black and shiny, but a light te dark brown. When a new load cf wood is put into the steve, it should ignite instantly. Bottem. pioces should be flaming by the time the door is closed. When a fire is' burning, go outaide and chieck what's coming eut of 'the chimney. The exhaust should ho clear or white. A plume- cf blue o r grey smoke indicates sniouldering and probably leow systom operating températures'< The wood steve, flue àie nd chimnoy should ho monitorod for ash, soot and creosote buildup. If it accuniulates, make sure it is prpry cleaned te provent Check the internaI passages c f the wood steve te make sure that components, such as insulation,' have net shifted from thei r SEE PAGE i7 Whitby Hydro lias kicked ý off efficiently. the Home Power Baver Program The report will ho sent to the ,for more than 15,000 of: its customer within eight weeks after. residential customers. the questionnaire is mailed. > Evory siingle-flaiily: home' in, Paricipants will also rieceive an -WhitbY with a' billing history,.'of eniergy saving ' freward withtheir eigtmoth or more will rece Home Power Baver Reportý from a ome energy, audit package. Whbitby Hydro. During ' the nàext- four yeaýrs,« The .,information collected.,from Ontario Hydfro, will> mail ý2.4 the -audits, will help identifr million home energy audits.-to high-use energy homes. These Ontario households. househelds, may, be éligible1 for a Developed, around 'a *'Power visit from -a -WhitbyHydro, Sleth tom,1 he pakae representative who will containsÉ a Poe Saesdemonsétrate relevant -energy Doetective,Notelbooke that asks for conevto esrst infrmaio abuthowenrgyiScustomors get .started using used 'ini thehlir. energy more efficiently.- The _packages contain a The specifies cf the home visit step-by-step, questionnaire for segment are being flnalizedlby an hougeholders.' to ,coimplet. and ontàio, Hydre ý,tam, ,'w]th input> returncto Oitario' Hydre 'in a from, the Municipal Electrie postage-paid envelope. The audit Association and the. Ministýy' cf is intended, to evaluate each Energy. household's energy consumption.- "The, recommendations made SEvery 1 single-family. household, to, our residèntial'customers in in ýWhitby Will now have the their audit -reports will be speciflc pwrtemake e contribution te te impr ' viný. energy efficiency in onergy conservation,"ý said Tomh their owii hoMes,'. said May., M'ay,. general manager, Whitby "The report is designed' te Hydre. .-. provide rècommendations that The Home 'Power Saver, are straightforward ini nature and Program. will. provide our won't entalà a'huge expense -or a customers with energy-saving total rénovation c f a home te recommendations that will help achieve savings," lie addedl. themn manage'their electrical use ý CFTO-TV news anchor and more officiontly." VWhy resident Tom, Gibney is Whidtbyr Hydre wilIl forward th eebrty Power Sleuth for the electricity data' cf the Home, Power 'Baver Pormin housoholders who. complèe the Whitbhy. questionnaires te Ontario Hydre. Since March cf this year, the The, customer's. billing history, Home, Polwer 'Baver- Program hbas local -weâther data and- the 'been succe ssfully l aunched in questionnaire, information will be partnership, with1 Ontario Hydre analyzod. and municipal utilities in North Once processing is completed, a York, Lonhdon, Belleville, personali.zod report will. be Peterborough, Su1bury1", Tunder produced which, will ý. ,provîde- Bay Ottawa, Strathroy, Lin dsay, instructions te each customner on- Sarnia, Tqronto, '11Brockville- and- how te use household energy more Nepean. Say warm» by win ter-proofirng ,your hom Falling leaves and crisp, lear, days signify tliat fall is just about over -and winter's just around the corner. It's alse, a time cf year when most Canadian home- owners are busy re-fortifying their homes te witlistand the, inevitable onslaught cf ,leet, snow -and ice. If you're like most hemeowners, you've probably. been putting off recaulking.- lealcy, windows and doors, and procrastinating about checking the insualtion levels in the attic. But by doing these things now, it will save a lot more trouble later on once a miner problem starts te, worsen. Youll alse, find that it's much easier te t landle these cheres now, before- the snow andice arrive on the scone. If youre net handy, don't ho discouraged. You don't have te ho a < professional contractor te winter-preof your home. In fact, most tasks- are relatively smple and you can do them youisèft0-1 course,' the amount cf work you do ;iI really depend -on how much "you want te, increase your comfort and save on your hean. bis. As wvith, Most ýprojects, it's imprat t consider the, pabak prid. Th râwih recoup you4r initial caste the most qickly are obviously moreadaagosbu if you intend te say in your'home for. a' whule, "a longer -payback period je aise advantageous. Alec, keep in niindthat a house that is more energy' icient (i.e. lower heating billes) je generally more attractive te future -buyers. Windows and doors. If yeur home seeme drafty, a lot cf heat le probably beinïg lest through windows and doers. It is estimated that the average single-family dwelling loses 25 per cent cf its heat through air leake. This can ho reduced by either ïapplying' new. caullung around. the perimetei< ôflh'dô6vs or adding an extra layer cf azing or weatherstripping. Another> option wh i s net as commen ',is te aaayer cf removable insuatien'that canho taken eout during daylightbours to allowlight in. Thermal drapes, with speial linings te, insulate against the. cold in winter, can aise hoe installed. -In summer, these types cf draperies work in reverse, te keep eut the heat. Test for drafts To determine whether there jes a draft around windows- and doors, move your biand around the frames. Do y ou feel any cold- air seeping in? Or, try heldingup a feather or cendle in front cf sashes and frames. If the feather or flame ineves or flickcers, thon there je air leakage. Be'sure te reniove any fragfile,' old cauling hofere applying ýany new material. Toe -pply a' head cf- caulking, liold the caufl1nkvgmh et a right.angle 'te the surface. *Although .caulkcing is generally go1:od. for sev ereýl years, keep in niind, that- 'ýit ehould ho checked every fâll-te make sure it's stili performin'g effectively. Weatberstripping - -There are many types,-.f weatherstripping available on the, market te day, including vinyl stre, ot and adhesive-backed foM stripe. For oxterier deors, thereý are many types cf door sweeps, gaskets and door shees maclecf a variety of matorials, such as plastic, vinyl, motel or aluninum.- Sweeps and shoes attach te the botteme cf doors. te block a"Y drafts coming in from honeath, whle gaskete are attached. te the threshhold te form a seul whon the door is closed. Insulation can often* become damaged from condensation'arïd le its effectivenes Fibreglais batts: are a popular option because. thoy havie a high insulation . .value .and, are relativély easy te install. Some,- other types cf insulation include ý"cellulose -and .-uret1iane:-,For Information~ on the advantgés cf these types of insulation, consult a building or hea tingexpert. When installing insulation in .the aittic, beo careful net teblock any cf the.,vonts. Consult experts for more informïation: By taking seme of -these simple measures now, you1l be able to sit back and enjoy a much more weather-tight,,home this winter. You'll aIse be saving energyat the. same time. This article is Provided by local Checék attic Est ate Association (OREA) for the It's alsc important ýtqçl4 the int&eré-al insulation. levels in *et