Ottawa Real Estate - Homes & Land

Happy to announce the error to cancel the program last year has been corrected in this week's federal budget; As soon as the details are published I will re-enter them onto my Green Living page. There are some serious rebates available for pretty much all a home needs to improve its energy efficiency. I have a geo-thermal system at home that ...

We all tend to buy into doing our bit to keep the planet chugging along, whether being a tree hugger or bowing to social pressures or drawing attention to one's eco-ego. Celebrities are no different, albeit their world twirls a tad faster. Here is a sampling of some of your idols at work on their carbon footprint.Jennifer Aniston brushes her ...

Up to one third of the heat generated in a house is lost through the roof, walls and ceiling. Add insulation to R-values of 32 or more. Ceiling fans, up in the summer. down in the winter. New windows and doors can be expensive; as an alternative caulk and weatherstrip leaky windows and doors. On the sunny side of the house, open the window ...

Bedrooms use up to 11% of a home's lighting. Install florescent lights (CFLs), and dimmer switches when practical. Good for creating a mood too! Have a guest room or others not always in use?, close the heat register to allow the energy you are paying for to be directed to rooms where people actually live. Bathrooms - the most obvious way to ...

Electrical appliances use a whopping 30% of energy in a typical home, with the fridge taking up 8% of that. New appliances are up to 3 times more efficient. Only run the dishwasher when it is full. Now that summer is here fire up the BBQ whenever you can to give the stovetop/oven a rest. Microwave the side dishes. Tomorrow - Bedrooms and ...

Let's start at the bottom and work our way up. The basement - don't wait until your furnace ceases to operate; if it's more than 15 years old consider replacing it. Newer models typically run at 90% efficiency compared with older ones at around 60%. Then keep it maintained yearly. Turn down the heat on the hot water tank, it's a ...

When sprucing up your home for visitors, the bathroom is one space in the house where you can make a big impact for a relatively small outlay. And this is particularily true when selling your home. Most people already know that kitchens and bathrooms have the best return on investment as well as assisting in a faster sale. However, it's ...

No creative energy today, so here's a sampling of eco-related stuff found at www.waynebowness.com/greenliving: If 10,000 Ottawans viewed and paid bills online we could keep 1.8 million trees growing each year. E-waste accounts for 70% of overall toxic waste currently going to landfills. If 10,000 Ottawans take one fewer napkin at fast food ...

The trick of course is don't use it to begin with. Newspaper junkie? - digital subscription, saves on soap too! Plastic slave? - tap water to plastic bottle to fridge to lips, repeat.    

The ongoing housing mess south of the border is beginning to have an impact on how we view our homes in Ottawa. And that is: - smaller is smarter. Money sucking McMansions are necessarily going to become less attractive as energy costs continue to skyrocket, uncertain economies, and eventually, social pressures. Got $500k for a home? Great! Why ...