Terrace Review — Wednesday, hi une 6, 1990 C5

_ How’s your house: a physical check-up.

Win our harsh Canadian winters,
thousands of homes lose a
considerable amount of energy
every year through poor “energy
health”,

Just like the peaple who live in
them, houses should have an annual
physical checkup. You can do it
yourself by answering the questions
below.

WINDOWS

Windows let in the sun’s warming
rays but they can also account for 10
to 25 per cent of a house’s total heat
loss. Which of the following
categories best describes your
windows? (Don’t forget to check
your basement windows too.)

EXCeHent...cccssesscsscsssnsensnsves 15 points

All windows are double-glazed, with
tightly fitted weatherstripping.
There is virtually no condensation
(water droplets) between the panes,
which would signal the presence of
air leaks.

GO0d..0.nessecstesesrescsserssessenee 5 points

Windows are double-glazed, with
some weatherstripping.
Condensation appears only on very
cold days in winter.

Although windows are double-
glazed, the weatherstripping around
the frames is wom or missing.
There is some condensation between
the panes for most of winter, °

POOK. see tnassessensseasenssesinens No points

Windows have only a single pane of
glass, and Weatherstripping i is well
worn or nonexistent. In winter you
cannot see outside because the glass
frosts up. ee

aw . “"

Smog and
Air Pollution

DOORS

Like windows, leaky doors also let
cold air into your home, Heat can

pass through the door material itself,
_ or through cracks in and around the

door. Which energy-efficiency
category. matches your situation?

Excellent... ccssssscsesssceeee 5 points

All outside doors are made of
insulated metal, or are solid wood
with a storm door. They are also
tightly weatherstripped and caulked.

Although the doors are solid and all
wooden doors have storm doors
added, the weatherstripping is worm
or ill-fitting.

POO... esse sssessecssesscesseesensensee No points

Some doors are warped. There are
no storm doors and weatherstripping
is nonexistent.

THE BASEMENT -
HEADER AREA

The basement accounts for as much
as 25 per cent of a home’s heat loss,
making it one of the most important
areas to insulate and draftproof.
Begin your inspection with the area
around the headers (the beams into
which the floor joists fit) and the sill
plates (the boards which rest on the
foundation).

EXCe]ENt A... seerssecsessserseseeees 10 points

All air leakage points are caulked
and the header area is insulated with
& vapour barrier on the warm side of
the insulation. —

wu 5 points

The header area is insulated and
there is a vapour barrier on the warm
side of the insulation, but not all the:

~ air leaks have been caulked,

Can natural gas help?

Natural gas can be used to complement
or replace the use of coal or oil in factories
and electricity generating stations to

So Neo points

There is no insulation or vapour
barrier whatsoever in the header
area.

THE BASEMENT -
WALLS

One of the best ways to reduce
energy consumption is to insulate
the walls of your basement. How
would you describe your basement
walls?

EXCellent.......ccccsscsescnsessneen 15 points

More than 5 cm (2 in.) of insulation
runs the full height of all exterior
walls, and a well-sealed air-vapour
barrier is in place on the inside
surface.

At least 5 cm of insulation exists
throughout most of the basement
(covering at least half the wall
height), with a well-sealed air-
vapour barrier on the inside surface.

Very little insulation exists. There is
either no air-vapour barrier, or a
barrier that is not sealed at the
seams.

POOP... .ccseecssscestesteatseeerenses . No points

There is no insulation anywhere.
(Have you ever noticed how snow
tends to melt away from the
foundation of your house and the
grass grows all winter? This is a
sure sign that your basement is
inadequately insulated.)

Check for air leakage around the
plumbing, electrical and heating
service entrances. If you have
applied caulking to these areas,
award yourself an extra 5: points.

“4 cy. A

reduce sulphur dioxide and particulate |

emissions.

Converting your car from gasoline to
natural gas can reduce réactive
hydrocarbon emissions by up to

40 per cent.

Can natural gas help?

All combustion processes, including

Global
Warming -

sty SNUW ila,

~y

(Draas

that of natural gas, produce nitric oxide.
However, processed natural gas contains
no sulphur and contributes less to acid
rain. As a result, the co-firing of coal or oil
with natural gas can cut emissions and
increase efficiency. Electric powerplants

_ which combine natural gas and high-

, sulphor oil have cut their sulphur dioxide |
emissions substantially. :

Can natural gas help?

Natural gas combustion produces less
carbon dioxide per unit of energy than
coal or oil, and releases little nitrous oxide.
While natural gas production does emit
methane, the amount released is small,
amounting to less than 2 per cent of total
world methane releases.

Substitution of natural gas for other
fossil fuels will help to alleviate the

problem of global warming.

WALL INSULATION

Adequate insulation in the rest of
your home is just as important as in
the basement. How do your walls
rate?

Excellent....ssossesssssessssses 10 points
All walls are fully insulated.
GOO. ssersssessssssssesstseerseersenee 5 points

There is some insulation in most of
the walls in the house.

- There is no insulation in any of the

walls.
DRAFTPROOFING

To be most effective, insulation
should be accompanied by air
leakage control measures. In order
to answer the following question,
you will have to do an air leakage
test around the house. You will
need a simple “draft detector”,
which can be made by gluing a
feather to the end of a toothpick.
Using the draft detector, check the
inside edges of your house’s
windows, doors, electrical outlets
and baseboards. If the feather
flutters, you’ve found an air leak.
Does your house have any of these
leaks?

EXcellent...ssccsssssvessssessseessnes 10 points
All air leakage points are sealed.
GOO, eessseossssceessestenrseseasseens 5 points
Only some of the air leakage points
are properly sealed.

Poor. u uw No points

None of the air leakage points are
sealed.

THE ATTIC
Did you know that a poorly

insulated attic can account for about -

12 per cent of a home’s total heat
loss? Choose the description that
best matches your attic.

Excellent........sssssssssssseneee 10 points

The attic contains more than 25 cm
(10 in.) of insulation evenly
distributed throughout the attic floor.

Between 18 cm (7 in.) and 25 cm
(10 in.) of insulation exists.

Between 10 cm (4 in.) and 18cm
(7 in.) of insulation-exists.

POOT.....ecsssostscosessaesseeoneeees No points

There is less than 10 cm (4 in.) of
insulation.

AIR LEAKAGE IN
THE ATTIC

Before leaving the attic, don’t forget
to check for air leakage,

Excellent.........:sscssserssserens 10 points

The plumbing stacks, chimney, light

fixtures, exhaust fans and attic
hatches are all properly sealed.

POOT.,ssesssssseessessesescssstssecese No points

None of these areas are sealed.

HEATING SYSTEM
AND WATER HEATER

Your hot water tank has extra
insulation.........cssecessseesseseees 5 points

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