Family saves $1,500 on power bill

The first thing you notice about the Kinrade family's home in Dartmouth is the large number of windows. They showcase a spectacular view, but the low R-value (thermal resistance) of glass means that this view comes at a price - high heating bills.

When the house was purchased four years ago, it was already equipped with some money-saving devices such as Steffes units (heaters that draw and store power during cheaper non-peak hours), but the combined heat, light and hot water bills were still almost $5,000 a year.

Heather Kinrade, mother of four and electronic technician with the Coast Guard, decided to do something about the cost. She set herself the goal of shaving $1,500 off her power bill, and with some creative solutions, she succeeded.

At first the family began making small changes like covering some windows with plastic in the winter, blocking the flue on an unused fireplace and changing over to low-energy light bulbs.

An energy audit in 2007 confirmed that they were on the right track. The auditor recommended that they insulate the bare concrete walls in their basement. After doing this, Kinrade felt there was still room for improvement.

"We made some structural changes to our kitchen that improved the air flow," she explains. "Then I decided to concentrate on the windows."

She discovered a removable silicon sealer, which seals off drafts around the windows and used it in conjunction with the plastic.

She then turned her hand to making heat-saving window coverings that incorporated insulating layers and heat-reflecting mylar.

She has tried different patterns including roman shades and vertical blinds and has matched the styles to different rooms in her home. In some rooms, the mylar is exposed, giving the blinds a "space-agey" feel, in others decorative fabric masks the material.

Kinrade has found the blinds very effective in keeping the heat in in the winter and out in the summer.

"We weren't willing or able to change our aluminum windows for new ones," she said, "But we've found a way to work with what we've got."

And that is the message she thinks that people need to hear in this time of rising energy costs.

"When it comes to money, it's not just how much you make but how much you keep," she says, adding that her family has more disposable income this year with the same budget. "In our case, saving money meant dealing with the windows, but every house is different. You need to find what works in yours."

k-watson@ns.sympatico.ca