Home Front Professional Home Inspections

01/20/2019

The roofs on most new houses in the United States are built with trusses. In this "How It Works" column, structural engineer Rob Munach explains how trusses carry their loads and how T-bracing and roof sheathing add strength. He identifies the different parts of a truss--top chord...

01/20/2019

Replacing Windows? You need to know what to a look for.
http://buff.ly/2r4H70J

01/20/2019

When compared to a typical code-built home, how much more does it cost to upgrade to an ultra-energy-efficient house using the Passive House Standard? How many years will it take for that cost upgrade to pay itself back?

10/08/2018

Time of year to save on Energy Star electrical devices like switches, power bars, LED light bulbs, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/100000599894198/posts/2317435474953093/

Get deals and save big on energy efficient items like LED light bulbs, ENERGY STAR-certified appliances, insulation blankets etc. Take advantage by visiting participating retailers and look for a Save on Energy Deal Days signs on eligible products .

05/17/2018

Before you start your home air conditioner here are a few things to do....

Before you start up your home air conditioner there are a few things to make sure you do to avoid damaging the air conditioner

05/12/2018

Five things to walk around your house and check in the Spring.

Spring is here or near depending where you live so now that the snow is gone you should have a look outside your house for things that may need to be addressed.

03/15/2018

Large commercial buildings going net zero now too. Why not, they have large footprint for ground source heat pumps and large roofs for solar.

FREE DELIVERY Shop the hottest fashion styles & trends in women's & men's clothing, Home decor and accessories exclusively at La Maison Simons.

03/04/2018

Passive house principles going more mainstream every year. Great basic article in Canadian Architect.

Ever since the first OPEC oil crisis of the early 1970s, I have been fascinated by the concept of the “urban farmhouse”—an urban yet off-grid, self-sufficient entity. In the urban farmhouse, all the fundamental elements required to support life are…

12/28/2017

Checkout the virtual tour of the energy efficient retrofit of the REEP Green Solutions house in Kitchener. They are a multi-service non-profit who can help you decide on your energy retrofit.

REEP House Tour

12/13/2017

Ontario offering great rebates for energy efficiency. Just announced today. Incentive money is from the Cap and Trade $1.6B money. Get your contractor signed up to enroll. Up to $20,000 for ground source heat pumps.

Save money and fight climate change by taking advantage of Ontario programs and rebates to reduce your energy costs.

12/01/2017

The Ontario Microfit program is officially over. The target has been reached before the December 29 deadline. Below is email from IESO.

On December 1, 2017, the microFIT Program reached the 50 MW Annual Procurement Target allocated for 2017. As a result, the IESO will not accept any further applications under the microFIT Program. The application window for the microFIT Program has officially closed. As stated in the November 14, 2017, program update, applications that were submitted on or before the application closure date will only be reviewed if capacity becomes available in the Annual Procurement Target by December 29, 2017. Any application that is not allocated to the Annual Procurement Target (i.e., any application that has not been set to Pending LDC Offer to Connect status) by December 29, 2017, will be terminated.

Applications that have been set to Pending LDC Offer to Connect status by December 29, 2017, will continue to be processed in accordance with the microFIT Rules.

Per the direction issued by the Minister of Energy on April 5, 2016, the IESO is required to stop accepting applications under the microFIT Program by December 31, 2017, and the direction set the Annual Procurement Target at 50 MW.

Those interested in small-scale renewable generation may consider contacting their local distribution company to determine if there are any net metering opportunities in their area. The Ministry of Energy recently published its 2017 Long-Term Energy Plan, which, among other things, outlined how the government is enhancing the net metering program to give businesses and consumers more opportunities to generate and store renewable electricity. For further information on net metering in Ontario, please contact your local distribution company.

The IESO thanks everyone for their interest and participation in the microFIT Program. Since it began in 2009, more than 26,000 contracts have been awarded to microFIT participants, representing over 230 MW of renewable energy.