While living our lives, we make presumptions that we are managing our utilities well. But most of us are missing opportunities to reduce consumption and save money. We can do better. When it comes to living in our homes, we can make a difference on our heating, electricity and water usage. Two SAGE Board members…

The following summary is specific to Lethbridge. (Most decisions to make a residential home ‘greener’ depend on the local climate, solar incidence, water availability, sources of electricity production, costs of energy, etc.) Green Building Compared to our standard home, we have: Initial Total Heat Loss = 128 GJ Total Saved = 75 GJ Greener Home…

There are a number of things you can do to reduce the energy consumption (and the associated greenhouse gas emissions) of your home. The following discussion is based on a 30 ft x 30 ft bungalow with a full basement in Lethbridge, Alberta. Heat loss from a home has two main paths. The first is…

Solar Panels (photovoltaic, PV) create direct-current (DC) electricity when exposed to the sun. The DC electricity is converted into AC and conditioned so that it may be used in the home or sent to the grid. The grid describes the electricity generation and transmission lines used to distribute electricity to the user, like your home.…

Windows are an important consideration in reducing heat loss from a home. Designed well, they also allow for passive gains from sunlight entering the home. The main difficulty in assessing the economics of upgrading windows in a home is in the wide range of styles and materials used to make them – styles like bay…

There has been a lot of interest in using heat pumps for heating and cooling our homes, thereby reducing energy bills and reducing our carbon emission footprint in Canada. The problem is that each location has its own climate, types of energy used, and energy prices – the decision on how best to heat and…

Bill 18 Provincial Priorities Act, Bill 20 Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act The Guardian (9 May 2024) asked the question: ‘What are the most powerful climate actions you can take?’ From the leading experts queried, the fourth top response was to reduce home heating and cooling emissions. SAGE agrees, and would add that this also…