How to increase energy efficiency with DYI renovations February, 2010 (NC)—Will you renovate your home this year? Up to 74 % of Canadian home owners claimed they would renovate if it meant that it would increase energy efficiency and save them money in the long run (RBC survey). However, rising energy costs during the cold winter months can leave many homeowners worrying about paying the heating bills instead of renovating. Well, the government grants available mean you can renovate and it won’t cost you a fortune! The ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program is offering a grant of up to $5000 from the Government of Canada for energy efficiency renovations which have not yet started. Some energy utilities and provincial governments offer additional funding. For more information on ecoEnergy grants and incentives, visit www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes <http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes>. With over 7 million underinsulated attics in Canada, this is a great place to start your home renovation project that will help you save on your heating costs and improve your home’s energy efficiency. Insulating your attic, you can help save up to 28 per cent* on your monthly heating bills right away – so you don’t have to wait for the long run to reap the benefits. “Maintaining areas in your home, such as windows, doors and replenishing your attic insulation will help reduce the energy consumption in your home and help you save on heating bills,” says David Flood, insulation expert at Owens Corning. “These areas are vulnerable to drafts, and a simple project like reinsulating your attic will stop hot air escaping and prevent cold air from coming in.” How do you take advantage of this opportunity? • Check out your attic – if your attic does not meet the recommended standard of R50, it is time to reinsulate. • Install up to 15 inches of PINK FIBERGLAS® batt insulation or 18 1/2 inches of PROPINK® Blown insulation to meet the recommended standard of R-50. • Cash in on government savings! These grants are more reason to take advantage of savings and renovate your home this year! www.newscanada.com *Savings vary depending on the original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks and personal energy use and living habits. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning ©2010 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved. www.newscanada.com Word Count: 380 Energy saving tips for the winter February, 2010 (NC)—If you are looking for ways to cut down on your monthly heating bills, it might be time to consider an energy audit for your home. While you may not realize it, a professional energy advisor will immediately locate where the problems are and find ways to help improve your home’s energy efficiency. Before you do, here are some energy saving tips you can do on your own: Energy saving tips • Upgrade your windows and doors • Replenish your caulking around windows and doors since it deteriorates over time to help prevent warm air from escaping through drafts and gaps • Upgrade your attic insulation “Simply topping up on caulking or insulation will eliminate areas where you may be losing heat that cause you to spend more on your energy consumption as a result,” says David Flood, insulation expert at Owens Corning. Since there are over 7 million underinsulated attics in Canada, this may be a primary cause of heat loss in your home. How do you fix this? If your attic does not meet the recommended standard of R-50, then it is time to insulate, and the solution is easy. Install up to 15 inches of PINK FIBERGLAS batt insulation or 18 1/2 inches of PROPINK Blown Insulation. By upgrading the insulation in your attic, you can help save up to 28 per cent* on your monthly heating bills and help reduce up to a half ton of greenhouse gas emissions annually**. Not only will you save money and energy, the government grants available will make renovating even more affordable. The ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program is offering a grant of up to $5000 from the Government of Canada for energy efficiency renovations which have not yet started. Some energy utilities and provincial governments offer additional funding. For more information on ecoEnergy grants and incentives, visit www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes <http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes>. www.newscanada.com *Savings vary depending on the original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks and personal energy use and living habits. **Based on an average attic size of 1700 SF with existing R19 insulation, averaged over seven cities in Canada. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning ©2010 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved. www.newscanada.com Word Count: 375 Rejuvenate your home with an affordable renovation February, 2010 (NC)—Are you looking for a feel-good home project that will upgrade your living space and give you more room that you desperately need for a growing family? Start with a home renovation project like finishing your basement. If you are worried about the expense of renovating, well, government grants available can ease your worries! The ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program is offering a grant of up to $5000 from the Government of Canada for energy efficiency renovations which have not yet started. Some energy utilities and provincial governments offer additional funding. For more information on ecoEnergy grants and incentives, visit www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes <http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes>. Additional provincial grants available will help offset your renovation costs so whether you hire a contractor or do it yourself, your renovation project can fit into any budget. “Most homeowners think renovating a basement will be a time-consuming and costly project, but that doesn’t have to be the case,” says David Flood, insulation expert at Owens Corning. “The government grants are helping homeowners with their renovation projects to help improve energy efficiency in homes nationwide.” And now, a do-it-yourself project like renovating your basement is easier than ever before. If your attic needs to be insulated, try out the Owens Corning Cel-Lok® Extruded Polystyrene insulation panels, along with PINK FIBERGLAS® insulation batts. The CelLok® insulation panels are easy to install, lightweight and durable. Make sure your basement is properly insulated to R-10 for Cel-Lok® and R-14 for PINK batts to create an insulation barrier with a value of R-24. This will improve your home’s energy efficiency with its vapour barrier, moisture resistant features. You’ll not only save money on your heating and cooling bills, but will enhance the comfort of your home and make a first step towards creating a new space for your entire family! www.newscanada.com *Savings vary depending on the original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks and personal energy use and living habits. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning ©2010 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved. Word count: 345 Impress your valentine with insulation February, 2010 (NC)—This Valentine’s day, you may be wondering what to give your loved one to show just how much you care. If you are tired of giving flowers or chocolates year after year, it may be time to get creative with a sentimental gift like a home renovation. If your loved one has been too busy, why not give the gift of a home upgrade– something you can both enjoy. Now, with the government grants available, you can upgrade your home without having to spend a fortune. The ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program is offering a grant of up to $5000 from the Government of Canada for energy efficiency renovations which have not yet started. Some energy utilities and provincial governments offer additional funding. For more information on ecoEnergy grants and incentives, visit www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes <http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes>. If you’ve been delaying a home renovation like insulating your basement, the government grants available will help reduce the cost of the project. On top of this, insulating your basement just became a whole lot easier with the Owens Corning CelLok® System insulation panels and PINK FIBERGLAS® insulation batts. Installing CelLok panels can be quick, easy and done in no time because of their lightweight, durable quality and easy interlocking panels. And the interlocking insulation panels are moistureresistant, with a vapour barrier to help improve your home’s energy efficiency and save on heating and cooling bills all year long. “Insulating your basement is a great way to improve the quality and comfort of your home and will increase the overall energy efficiency,” says David Flood, insulation expert at Owens Corning. “The government grants can help make a project like finishing your basement more affordable for homeowners, who want to create additional living space for their family to enjoy.” What’s not to love with a gift like insulation? Just think – finally finishing your basement and enjoying each other’s company by cozying up on the couch can be more affordable than jewelry and something you will BOTH enjoy. www.newscanada.com *Savings vary depending on the original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks and personal energy use and living habits. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning ©2010 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved. Word count: 375 Cost-effective solutions for every homeowner February, 2010 (NC)—Completing a renovation project is now affordable for all your home renovation needs. Why? Because Natural Resources Canada is offering ecoENERGY retrofit rebates, as well as additional provincial grants, to offset your home renovation costs for 2010. If you have been delaying renovations due to a lack of time and budget, now you can ease your worries and finish projects to help increase the value and comfort of your home. “It is a great time to take advantage of the government grants available for renovation projects to improve the quality of your home,” says David Flood, insulation expert at Owens Corning. “Examine the areas of the home that may need maintaining or upgrading, like window and door replacement or added insulation.” If you want to take advantage of these grants, but are wondering which renovation project to tackle first, consider home upgrades that will increase your home’s energy efficiency. Added insulation is a welcome renovation to any home, a way to reduce energy consumption and improve homeowner savings when it comes to heating and cooling bills. Whether in your attic or your basement or everywhere in between, Owens Corning has a list of products available for every home renovation need. By using Owens Corning’s PINK FIBERGLAS® insulation, you can improve the value of your home by decreasing the amount of energy consumption. Insulating your attic is easy and cost-effective. Not only will you save up to 28 per cent* on your monthly heating and cooling costs by insulating your attic, you will help save up to a half ton of greenhouse gas emissions yearly.** All you need to do is install up to 15 inches of PINK FIBERGLAS® insulation or 18 1/2 inches of PROPINK Blown insulation to meet the recommended standard of R-50. Or, improve the comfort of your basement with Cel-lok® System Extruded Polystyrene Rigid Insulation. These lightweight, durable interlocking insulation panels are easy to install with a moisture resistant polyethylene vapour barrier to help enhance the energy efficiency of your home. Install the Cel-lok® insulation panels on your unfinished concrete walls up to R-10, along with up to R-14 of PINK insulation batts to create an insulation barrier with a value of R 24. The higher the value, the more energy efficient the home, meaning a greater return on investment when it comes to paying the heating and cooling bills. And with government savings, your ROI from renovating just got even better! For more information on the ecoENERGY retrofit rebates, visit www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca. In your attic or your basement, renovating just became a whole lot easier – and affordable! www.newscanada.com *Savings vary depending on the original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks and personal energy use and living habits. **Based on an average attic size of 1700 SF with existing R19 insulation, averaged over seven cities in Canada. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning ©2010 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved. Word count: 496