Arctic Circle is a daily cartoon strip by Alex Hallet about three penguins, Oscar, Ed and Gordo, who have emigrated from Antarctica to the Arctic. The comic has an underlying environmental theme and regularly sees the humour in trying to live a more eco-friendly life in a 21st century world.

Programmable Thermostats

The new generation of programmable thermostats can save you upto $150 a year by regulating heat temperatures. When more heat is needed it will supply it and also maintain the temperature at the lower level when required.

A Five Plus Two Day model allows you to program for heat in the mornings, down during the day and then back up again as people start to arrive during the weekdays with the weekends being more relaxed.

There are also programmable thermostats that work like motion sensor lighting where heat is only provided when it senses people are in the home.

Insulation

One of the most efficient ways of keeping you family warm and your energy costs down is to make sure your insulation is upto par. If you can go in your crawlspace, take a wander to make sure the insulation is still in place and the plastic on the ground is still sealed. If you notice any pipes, make sure they are wrapped in insulation as well.

Inspect your windows and doors with an incense stick to check for drafts. Use caulking and weather stripping to close the gaps. If your windows and glass doors are inefficient, use shrink-film by following the proper directions. Close your drapes at night to add another layer of insulation.

Check pipes, air ducts and vents and close gaps with caulking or insulation. Install foam insulators behind outlet plates if you don't have insulated electrical plugs. Since heat rises, ensure that the attic is well covered to contain the warmth.

Source: Articles from LiveSmartBC

With the cold weather, it's a good time save money and energy with an Energy Star natural gas heating system.

If you upgrade your furnace or boiler to an Energy Star system, you can save upto $950 in bill credits and rebates. Terasen Gas will provide you with a bill credit of $250 when you upgrade before Dec 31st 2009 and manufacturers will provide $700 in rebates when you upgrade before Jan 31st 2009.

A furnace or boiler that is more than 13 years old is probably a low efficiency model, running at 60 to 70% AFUE (Annual Fuel utilization Efficiency). An Energy Star natural gas furnace can run at 97% while an Energy Star boiler can perform at 85%.

Heating your home accounts for a large portion of your home energy costs so you should have your furnace checked by a licensed natural gas contractor so it is operating efficiently. They do specialized tests on gas pipes as well.

Here are some simple ideas that can help you save energy, the environment and money.

• Turning your thermostat down to 20°C during the day and 17°C at night can save as much as 15 per cent on your heating costs. Afraid you’ll forget? Consider installing a programmable thermostat.
• Keep warm air inside and cold air outside. Caulk or weatherstrip the cracks, gaps and leaks around walls, windows and doors.
• To help keep your furnace at peak efficiency, clean or change the furnace filters regularly

Why pay for heat when it's available for free? New homes can be designed to take advantage of the sun's energy through a passive solar heating system. The design phase plays the biggest role in getting the most efficient system.

Here's a list of the requirements:

• The home should be properly oriented to the sun
• It should have the proper sized, south facing windows
• It should have the correct size of window overhangs
• There should be reduced heating requirements through insulation and weatherization
• There should be adjustable blinds to control heat gain and loss
• There needs to be a proper design and location of a thermal mass for heat storage

The windows allow the sun to radiate it's energy onto a 5 inch thick concrete slab along the inside wall of the home. With the passive solar heating system, a 3,200 square foot house could save as much as 40% over conventional heating systems. And the monthly heating bill can be 50% cheaper.

You can reduce the amount of heat you need by using 6 inch thick wall framing which can accomodate an extra 2 inches of insulation. Cellular window shades can also help in insulation and they come in both top-down and bottom-up styles to make adjustments easy. A solar hot water panel installed on the roof can provide 100% of the hot water in the summer months and about 60% for the year.

Source: Article by Mark Erickson titled "Sun provides the largest energy draw for house"