Our Home Upgrades Program’s first home assessment was with John and Corrine Gosse who graciously welcomed us into their home in Calgary.
During the home assessment the Gosses were warm and responsive to the education we provided them that we tailored to their home and their family. They had an old freezer in the basement that was frosted-out and only half full now that their kids have moved out. It was costing them a lot to keep it running and we suggested they remove it. They loved the suggestion and went as far as saying the fridge in the basement could probably go too!
Our home assessment included looking at the building envelope, insulation, heating, and the electrical system. We replaced 13 standard light bulbs with efficient LED lights, replaced the furnace filter, added some pipe insulation, added switch and outlet gaskets to insulate walls, tested all smoke detectors, and installed a smoke and CO2 detector for safety. We provided them with an Energy Saving Kit and the family was educated on how to save energy, decrease their energy bills, and read their energy bills.
At the end of our first visit, the Gosses felt comfortable with the knowledge, upgrades and tips Empower Me shared with them. After the assessment, the Gosses took action to reduce energy waste in their home and removed the old freezer that was in the basement.
The Empower Me team visited the Gosses a second time to make more in-depth energy efficient upgrades to their home. The attic was upgraded with a gasket around the attic hatch and insulation was improved to R-60. In the unfinished basement, the furnace was upgraded to one that is more energy efficient, insulation and vapor barriers were installed on visible frames, and insulation was added on visible box-end joist spaces. Air-leakage was sealed off, a door sweep and weather stripping was installed, and a living room window-latch and seal was replaced.
The upgrades our team made combined with the Gosses behaviour change from our energy efficiency education will save them 105 GJ annualy and will help the family save more money and feel more comfortable in their home. We enjoyed our visits to their home and have created new Champions for energy efficiency!
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