Climate Change is Already Affecting Your Home
Climate change is here – and it’s already affecting your home and your life. Summer and winter temperatures are changing dramatically; precipitation levels are fluctuating; and weather events are increasingly frequent and severe. The bottom line: demands on energy are shifting radically. And this is having a direct effect on how energy is being produced, how it’s delivered, and how North Americans are consuming. The fact is, energy consumption plays an integral and primary role in practically every aspect of our life.
Every residential home needs to consume energy on an ongoing basis, whether it’s oil, gas, or electricity. Amongst various day-to-day needs, virtually every home needs lighting, heating, and sometimes air conditioning. Simply put, modern life demands fuel consumption, and in a home, fuel consumption is high on the list of needs. In North America, most of the energy generated for domestic use comes directly from fossil fuels. Indeed, fossil fuel consumption accounts for more than 80% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
For a typical homeowner, seasonal temperature fluctuations have an impact on energy use right around the year. Because of these fluctuations, energy demands are increasing in warm climates as well as cool climates. In the end, it all translates into higher domestic energy costs, whether we are heating the home in winter or cooling off in summer. The key, then, is to ensure the maximum in home energy efficiency, so that less energy is consumed, and fewer energy dollars spent - all of this, while maintaining home comfort for the occupants.
Scientists expect seasonal temperatures to rise in the coming years. As well, they expect summer heat waves to escalate in frequency. Here again, climate change is having a direct effect on our lives. And while provinces and municipalities are doing what they can about the “big picture”, it’s really up to individual homeowners to make a personal contribution on the home front. Overall, it’s about significantly reducing harmful greenhouse gases, but for homeowners, it’s simply about reducing energy usage for winter heat and summer cooling.
The best option for conserving energy in a home is to effectively seal and insulate strategic parts of the building structure. The aim is to reduce air leakage, stop drafts, and prevent heat loss. And it’s achieved with air sealing, weatherizing, and quality insulation – in other words, creating a building envelope that is efficiently airtight and insulated. Here, an experienced insulation expert can be instrumental in delivering noticeable results. With quality insulation and a professional install, homeowners can save 20% and more on utility costs.
For the professionals at Great Northern Insulation, the focus is on optimizing energy efficiency, with high-performance products and installation methods that deliver results. Whether its blown insulation or spray foam insulation, the emphasis is on reducing energy consumption year-round. GNI provides customers with the best value options, and with a return-on-investment that makes the overall project investment worthwhile. Indeed, with many home energy retrofits, the ongoing utility savings quickly “pay down” the original project cost.
