What would you say if someone told you you could claim up to $10,000 in rebates when making your home more energy efficient? When it's cold, insulation will help a lot by keeping your home warm. Aside from just keeping you comfortable, a well-insulated building is generally much better for the environment than one that isn't properly insulated.
In this guide, we'll talk about the impact of having insulation in Ottawa. Keep reading for more.
How Buildings Lose Heat
When it's cold outside, you'll want to keep windows and doors closed. If they're open, your home will lose heat through convection. This can also happen through cracks or gaps in windows, doors, and walls.
Buildings can also lose heat via conduction. This relates to any heat that escapes through solid material, including a roof, walls, or windows. How well all of these are insulated will have a huge impact on how much heat a building loses.
How Insulation Can Help The Environment
With rising energy costs and environmental impact, reducing energy waste can be a huge bonus. One of the main benefits of insulation is that it's a great energy-saving solution, and the sooner you take care of it, the sooner you'll start saving. This will lower your utility bills and reduce your carbon footprint.
In the winter, your building will retain heat better, so your heating system won't need to use as much energy. Similarly, in the summer, your building will stay cooler, so your AC system won't have to work as hard. A properly insulated building will also be less prone to issues like mould, dampness, and condensation.
Governments are trying to encourage energy efficiency to protect the environment. Regulations are getting stricter to help with this. In some countries, there are energy-efficient standards that all homes must meet, and this could happen in Canada in the future.
Various materials are available for home insulation. Our blown cellulose insulation is highly efficient and is made up mostly of recycled materials. This is better for the environment than using raw materials and will help reduce your energy usage.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
If your heating and air conditioning don't need to work as hard to keep your home comfortable, you'll be relying less on energy sources like natural gas, electricity, and propane. As such, you'll be reducing your greenhouse gas emissions and, therefore, your impact on the environment.
Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulphur oxide trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, contributing to global warming. On the whole, our greenhouse gas production is incredibly high, so lowering it with insulation is a step in the right direction. As more homes become properly insulated, greenhouse gas generation will drop.
The Home Efficiency Rebate
Canada's government (like several others around the world) is working to help people reduce their energy usage. The Home Efficiency Rebate program is an example of how they're doing this. With this program, homeowners in Ontario may be eligible to claim up to $10,000 in rebates for home upgrades that make their homes more energy-efficient. This may apply to upgrades such as insulation, doors, windows, and renewable energy systems.
This is a great opportunity for homeowners, and it's worth taking advantage of. This program likely won't be available forever, so you should definitely consider making use of it while you can.
Insulation in Ottawa
Insulation in Ottawa can go a long way toward helping you live a more environmentally friendly life. O'Reilly Brothers is a leading insulation company based in Nepean, Ontario. Take a look at our Insulation page to find out more about the options we have available.