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Home > Energy Efficiency Tips & Tools > Renovations > General Renovations
General Renovations
Make the most of your renovation or addition
Many people who have summer cottages don't really think too much about
energy efficiency. However, if you have any form of heating in your home
or cottage, and if you have a hot water tank, there are probably ways
for you to get better value for your energy dollar.
If you're renovating, or adding to your home, it's a good time to tune
it up for energy efficiency.
| If you have a crawl space, treat it for energy efficiency |
- If the floor of the crawl space is earth, cover it with a moisture
barrier. Extend the barrier up the inside crawl space walls.
- Insulate the floor from underneath. Install a polyethylene air/vapour
barrier in each joist space. Then install batt insulation to fill
the joist spaces.
- If there are any heating ducts or water pipes in the crawl space,
insulate them. Note that pipe wrap insulation will not necessarily
protect your water pipes from freezing in the winter.
- If it's too difficult to access the crawl space to install batt
insulation, spray-in-place foam insulation can also be used.
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Have you checked your hot water tank lately?
How old is your hot water tank? If it's an older model, it's probably
not as energy efficient as it could be. Modern hot water tanks are insulated
on the inside to keep the heat in.
You have two options if you have an older electric hot water tank. You
can either upgrade to a newer one, or you can buy an insulating blanket
for your existing one. In either case, make sure you insulate the pipes
coming from the tank. You can find more information on energy efficient
water strategies and products here.
If you're considering a new one, make sure you get one that's right for
your usage. If you find that you're often running out of hot water, a
bigger tank will help.
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