Daily Home Renovation Tips

20 responses so far ↓

• 1 gabriel // Jan 8, 2009 at 4:37 pm

  I want to see the ecoEnergy Retrofit Program available to all home owners who needs in it immediately to help us create jobs, address the Climate change and save money on high energy bills. Canadians need to press their politicians to act.

• 2 Dan // Jan 8, 2009 at 4:46 pm

  Hi Gabriel,

  Personally, I agree wiith you. There are a lot of shoddy home builders out there. A new home built in the past few years may have passed ‘code’ but IMO it doesn’t mean that it is energy efficient. It would be unlikely that many home owners of homes built in the past 10 years would find it cost effective to replace a (comparatively) new-ish furnace or A/C or replace the existing windows with ENERGY STAR windows, but they could undertake other home energy conservation measures for which ecoENERGY grants are available such as increasing attic insullation, installing basement wall and floor insullation, tightening up air leaks, etc.

  Great idea!
  Dan

• 3 Tesh // Mar 2, 2009 at 4:04 am

  Don’t forget the lawn!!! - Save energy by planting no mowing lawn grasses- less water, less pollution, less time managing. And Permaculture those landscapes - food for you, the birds and squirrel friends.

• 4 Dan // Mar 2, 2009 at 11:34 am

  Hi Tesh,

  Interesting ideas. The ‘no mowing lawn’ idea no doubt will save water. However, with a solar charged lawn mower such as we purchased and started to use last year there would be no energy savings.

  Dan

• 5 Lydia // Mar 29, 2009 at 12:23 am

  We recently took our dryer apart because it began to shimmy. The fan blade was covered with years of lint. Now clothes dry in half the time. If you don’t fear the possibility of a mysterious left-over screw, and your dryer is more than a few years old, try it.

• 6 SUSAN // Apr 4, 2009 at 12:34 pm

  PEOPLE ARE FORGETTING THIER PETS. WHEN YOU TURN DOWN THE HEAT IN THE WINTER CATS AND DOGS GET COLD. DURING THE DAY I PLAY WITH MY DOG TO KEEP HIM ACTIVE AND WARM. AT NIGHT I PUT A BABY BLANKET ON HIM. FOR MY CATS I TAKE A CARDBOARD BOX, TAPE IT UP,CUT A ROUND HOLE JUST BIG ENOUGH FOR THEM TO GET IN, PUT NEWSPAPERS AND AN OLD TOWEL IN IT. TWO GET IN. THEY LOVE IT AND STAY WARM.

• 7 Charles // Apr 13, 2009 at 12:43 pm

  One easy way to save energy is that I hang up virtually all my clothes to air dry using the spare bathroom. Two loads of wash can fit on the shower curtain rail and the towel bars (using wire coat hangers) and it is a big energy saver. Plus, it puts moisture in the atmosphere in winter.

• 8 Charles // Apr 13, 2009 at 12:46 pm

  I was surprised to find out that the Blue Box does not recycle caot hangers - they are of a low quality metal compapred to food cans and aluminum beverage containers. The energy savings (for the planet) solution is to take them back to your dry cleaner for resuse, thus making a friend at the dry cleaner and helping the environment by reusing.

• 9 Dan // Apr 13, 2009 at 12:49 pm

  Hi Charles,

  Thanks for this (comment #7 re clothes drying); it’s a nice expansion of what is currently tip #53 “Indoor Clothers Drying Area in Winter”.

  We also use on top of the bed’s comfortator for heavy clothes when all of the bathroom’s towel racks, etc. are used.

  Dan

  Dan

• 10 Candace // Jun 20, 2009 at 2:26 pm

  Hi Dan, This is a great site. I really like the dryer vent solution. I live in Florida and the humidity is making the inside of my dryer wet. Did someone create the vent flap apparatus for the dryer vent or do I need a handy man to make it, please.

• 11 Dan // Jun 20, 2009 at 2:35 pm

  Hi Candace,

  Thanks for visiting and spending time on our home site.

  Candace, to which specific energy conservation tip are you referring in your comment? I don’t recall an energy conservation tip (which is the focus of this particular page) which calls for a dryer vent to reduce the humidity. All dryers should IMO be vented outside unless ‘up north’ and using a special aparatus to have it vent inside during the winter months to add humidity to the home as well as heat.

  If humidity in the air by itself is making the inside of your dryer wet, then you need to IMO install a very good home dehumidifier such as we did with the SaniDry dehumidifier because this would only be one symptom of a larger issue with excess humidity throughout your home which can cause mold, etc.

  Dan

• 12 Harriet // Jul 24, 2009 at 12:11 am

  You do suggest a low flow shower head but it seems that without the cut off switch for soaping, shampooing, shaving, etc. it isn’t complete and the only one I can find on good sites or catalogs is only about $12.00 and does fine even with low water pressure.

• 13 Dan // Jul 24, 2009 at 12:29 am

  Hi Harriet,

  Some showers as you know already come with this. We had this installed on our wall when we had our en suite shower built.

  Whether the shower comes with this or not, many people simply won’t be bothered do to as you suggest; at least the low flow shower head is better than nothing.

  As well, there are some (I know of at least one) low flow shower head that actually comes with the switch to reduce or turn off completely (I believe) the water flow as you suggest.

  Dan

• 14 ron // Jul 27, 2009 at 3:07 pm

  great website

  keep up the good work

• 15 Dan // Jul 27, 2009 at 4:54 pm

  Hi Ron,

  Thanks for visiting our site and for the complements.

  Please feel free to let us know of any addition energy or water consevation ideas you or your friends are using which are not already on our ‘Un-Offical Guide’ so we can include them to let others know as well.

  Dan

• 16 Joan Ellen // Aug 12, 2009 at 6:10 pm

  Re: the no mow lawn…Glad to see this posting. I have been pulling my tall weeds and leaving the short ones, especially the yellow sorrel which is edible. I also ‘harvested’ my dandelion ’seeds’ and will sprinkle those on my no mow lawn.

• 17 Alexa // Oct 29, 2009 at 6:29 pm

  These tips are great! Thanks for posting, I enjoy reading your blog!

• 18 Shawn // Dec 28, 2009 at 5:38 am

  Dry clothes over a door (sheets, jeans, heavy towels) rather than in the dryer.

• 19 vineetha // Jan 10, 2010 at 5:10 am

  conserving wildlife,water,minerals avilable on this prescious planet is not our job, but our duty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• 20 Aleta // Jan 21, 2010 at 6:04 pm

  I can definately appreciate the tip to cut food in small pieces before reheating. My kids used to ask why my plate was reheated faster than theirs….I offered the suggestion. They think I am brilliant.

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