The Provincial goverment just announced that it found $35 million in its new budget to give to the LiveSmart BC renewed energy.

The LiveSmart BC program offers financial support for household energy assessments and rebates up to $1,450 for installing energy efficient appliances.

Need an energy audit for your home?

You can contract a certified energy adviser to audit your energy usage and recommend the most efficient upgrades to save energy and reduce costs.

Rebates run as high as $1,450 for air source heat pump installations that meet specified efficiency targets, while gas furnace replacements can earn rebates as high as $1,130 in interior and northern B.C. and up to $770 on the south coast. Insulation, window replacements and draft-proofing can net lesser amounts.

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Here’s the press release:

Important Notice

March 31, 2010

Effective today, the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program is no longer accepting bookings for pre-retrofit evaluations. The program will continue to be administered until March 31, 2011. If you have already booked an appointment for a pre-retrofit evaluation, have completed an evaluation or applied for re-entry to the program, you remain eligible to apply for a grant.

Deadline for Post-Retrofit Evaluation

It is suggested that you complete your energy upgrades well in advance to allow enough time for your post-retrofit evaluation, as all post-retrofit evaluations must be completed by March 31, 2011. Contact the energy advisor that is listed on your pre-retrofit evaluation report or contact a licensed service organization and provide them with your file number. For more information, refer to the questions and answers.

While the pre-retrofit assessment phase is now complete, homeowners will continue to undertake energy efficiency improvement work on their homes, which will increase the energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions already achieved by the program.

The Government of Canada will continue to process applications for the complementary programs already developed by most provinces and territories.

The Government of Canada continues to encourage homeowners to have home energy evaluations so that they can identify best opportunities for energy efficiency improvements, improve their home’s energy performance and receive an EnerGuide rating label.

The Government of Canada will also continue to support other programs to help Canadians become more energy-efficient.

To read the full release, please visit the Natural Resources Canada site.

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After turning out the lights just prior to the official start to Earth Hour last year, Ed and I played cards at the kitchen table by candlelight. Maybe not the best option for those past the age of 50 whose eyesight is diminishing.

This year I’ve decided to read a book on my Kindle DX using my Kandle LED Book Light and wearing my reading glasses.

So… where will you be? What are your plans for Earth Hour 2010? Going to an Earth Hour party? Doing yoga by candlelight? Or staying at home and reading your Kindle?

Let us know!

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If you are like me, you enjoy sitting in front of an open fireplace, it’s a link to countless generations that have come before.

But there’s a BIG problem with using a fireplace…

…improperly sealed dampers.

You wouldn’t have a door without weatherstripping — so why have a damper with a metal to metal seal?

We had one of those dampers in our fireplace.

Sitting and watching TV there was a cold draft on the floor making the room uncomfortable.

Most of the time the fireplace is not being used and the damper is closed.

Studies have shown that a new damper can leak up to $200 of your energy dollars per year. Imagine what a old corroded and warped damper is costing you.

I discovered the Lyemance Top Seal Chimney Cap Damper 13×13.

The damper has a gasket that seals it shut just like a well fitting storm door and it is fixed to the top of the chimney with silicone cement.
It is operated by a stainless steel cable that runs down the flue to a latch that is installed on the side of the firebox.
Since the damper is at the top of the chimney it keeps the weather and our furry friends out of the chimney. The hardest part of the installation was getting the ladder out. It took about 45 minutes from start to finish, there was snow on the roof afterall.

The results were immediate, the draft is gone, the room is warm and comfortable and my wallet a bit thicker.

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To understand the difference between a conventional gas furnace and a condensing gas furnace, first we must understand gas combustion.

One of the products of gas combustion is water vapor. If this vapor is allowed to condense and mix with the other combustion gases it would form an acid which would quickly destroy your furnace or chimney. That is why conventional gas furnaces use metal pipes for venting the very hot gases.

A condensing gas furnace is built to withstand these corrosive by-products.

When we condense water vapor to liquid water it gives us 970 BTU’s per pound ( 1 cubic foot of natural gas is 1000 BTU’s) This heat is used to heat your home rather than the air outside your home.

These furnaces are vented to the outside with plastic pipes that you can touch with the furnace operating, don’t try to touch the vent of a conventional furnace — you will get burned.

By utilizing most of the heat produced by the combustion process condensing gas furaces achieve efficiencies as high as 98%.

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