Save on your energy bills with home retrofits

Are you thinking about making home improvements and want to improve your home’s energy efficiency at the same time? Investing in home energy retrofits not only provides you with savings on your utility bills, but it also contributes to the reduction of carbon pollution, directly helping in the fight against climate change.

Join the in-person session about home retrofits

On Saturday, November 30, the City is hosting the Home Retrofits 101 session to share more information about home retrofits. This session is part of the Cooksville SNAP initiative, and the City is partnering with the Centre for Community Energy Transformation (CCET), Toronto and Region Conservation and Credit Valley Conservation to share ways to make your home energy efficient.

Whether you own your home or are a renter, you’ll have the chance to learn the basics of home energy and how you can save on your energy bill. All event attendees will have the chance to win prizes, including energy-saving kits, an electric grill and an Ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat.

Event details

Who:

Any Mississauga resident who is interested in home retrofits and wants to save on their energy bill.

What:

The City is hosting the Home Energy 101 session in partnership with the Centre for Community Energy Transformation (CCET), Toronto and Region Conservation and Credit Valley Conservation.

The in-person session will share more information about how you can make your home more energy efficient.

When/Date:

10 a.m. to noon
Saturday, November 30

Where:

Mississauga Valley Community Centre, Silverthorne Room
1275 Mississauga Valley Blvd
Mississauga, ON
[MAP]

Take action to make your home more energy efficient

Get a free home-energy coaching session

If you’re not sure where to start with your home retrofit, you can sign up for a free home-energy coaching session offered by the Centre for Community Energy Transformation (CCET). CCET is a non-profit organization helping to advance the transition to a low-carbon future across Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

As part of the Climate Change Action Plan, the City is working with partners like CCET to provide residents with more information on how to retrofit their homes with low-carbon and resilient technologies.

Get a home energy audit

Before diving into a home renovation or retrofit, consider starting with an EnerGuide Home Energy Evaluation, or home energy audit, where a registered energy advisor will assess your home and provide you with an EnerGuide rating for your home, and an energy efficiency report to help you make decisions about possible upgrades. It is a great way to understand how your home uses energy now and identify the best energy retrofit options for your home. For more information about how to get an energy audit and guidance on the process, contact CCET.

Energy retrofits don’t have to be expensive to be impactful. Low-cost, low-effort examples of changes that can make an impact include:

• Reducing your heat and/or air conditioning by a few degrees
• Heating/cooling only the rooms that you use
• Switching out light bulbs for LEDs
• Using smart plugs to eliminate energy drain of devices like TVs and small appliances

Reduce air leaks

When air leaks are present, air conditioned or heated air from inside your house can escape, causing your heating or cooling system to work harder and use more energy. This contributes to higher carbon emissions and more expensive utility bills.

By properly sealing air leaks, you can improve your home’s energy efficiency and reduce carbon pollution. Other ways you can reduce the need for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer include improving your home’s insulation and installing energy-efficient windows and doors.

Switch to a heat pump

A heat pump uses electricity to heat and cool your home. It works like an air conditioner, but – instead of just moving air in one direction (hot air out of your home) – it moves air in both directions. It moves hot air inside to heat your home in the winter and moves hot air outside to cool your home in the summer.

Installing a heat pump provides about three times the heating capability compared to a furnace and uses less energy. Since heat pumps run on electricity, they produce less carbon pollution compared to natural gas systems.

Learn more about the City’s Climate Change Action Plan.

Tags

• Climate Change