It's Getting Hot in Here

By Kari Kylo, BC Hydro Power Smart

Keep the heat outside, stay cooler inside and save money during the dog days of summer by installing ENERGY STAR (ESTAR) windows. With ESTAR windows, homeowners will experience less direct heat from the sun, fewer drafts, reduced condensation and may hear less outside noise.

As an added benefit, homeowners can save up to seven per cent on energy costs, or about $127 a year, by replacing their windows and doors with ESTAR-qualified products. ESTAR windows are also PST exempt, saving consumers an additional seven per cent.

In the winter, heating one’s home can account for more than half of a home’s energy bill, and up to one-third of the heat from homes can escape through windows. Therefore, windows are an ideal target for energy conservation measures and increased comfort for occupants.

If just ten per cent of the households in Greater Vancouver replaced all of their windows with ESTAR windows, there would be an energy saving of more than $10.4 million a year.

You can identify ENERGY STAR labelled windows in three ways:

• Ask your local window contractor or salesperson for ENERGY STAR labelled windows.
• Go to Natural Resources Canada's website to find model numbers of all ENERGY STAR labelled windows qualified under the Canadian criteria.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR label.

To learn more about ESTAR windows, as well as BC Hydro’s Power Smart residential programs, such as mail-in rebates, the refrigerator buy-back program and Power Smart New Homes, visit www.bchydro.com/powersmart.