Canadian homeowners who want to save money on heating bills — like me — now have an extended opportunity to take advantage of federal incentives to retrofit their houses under the EnerGuide program.

As the denizen of a drafty old farmhouse, this interests me greatly!

But the certified energy auditors in our area are all booked up for the next few months… so I’ve been looking for information on things I can do myself to get started. Here’s one of several articles that caught my frugal eye!

Using Incense to Save on Your Utilities

by Richard Chapo

If your utility bill is out of control, you need to take dramatic steps. Yes, it is time to use the inherent power of incense. Stick with me on this one.

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Getting Metaphysical With Your Home — Well, Sort of.

Okay, you are seeing the words incense and utility in the same sentence and wondering why. Don’t worry. We will not be discussing mediation unless, of course, you have to meditate to calm down after seeing your utility bill each month.

Incense can save you a bundle on utility bill for one reason and one reason only. You can see and smell most incense smoke. If yours isn’t kicking these two elements out, you are going to the wrong yogi! So, how does this help cut your utility bill?

Drafts are terrible things. No, I am not talking about the military. I am talking about your home. When heating or cooling your home, drafts are the single biggest reason your utility bill explodes. By definition, you are trying to make the climate in the house differ from the temperature outside. If you have leaks in the shell of your home, the amazing concept of physics is going to cost you a bundle.

Hot and cold temperatures are complimentary. Heat rises and cold air fills the vacated space. If you have drafts, this concept will also apply. A leak around a door or attack entrance will turn into an escape hatch for heat. To replace it, cold air will come in under doors stops and practically anywhere it can get in. If this is occurring, your heater should be getting combat pay. It is fighting a no-win situation.

Finding leaks in your home can be difficult. The basic problem is air is transparent, making it slightly difficult to track. Ah, now the incense idea doesn’t sound so stupid!

To find drafts in your home, you need a colored gas. You can use anything, but incense tends to be the best smelling option. Simply close every path to the exterior, fire up the heater and start walking around with your incense. Stand close to windows, doors and other paths to the exterior of the home. What does the incense smoke do? If you see it curling towards a window or door, you have a leak.

All bow before the mighty power of incense!

Rick Chapo is with solar energy, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on auditing your home and our home energy audit checklist.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. domestika

    Sometimes I need to have things spelled out for me, Dan, preferably step by step! Now, if I could only get someone to come do that airflow tracking for me… hmmm…

  2. Dan Dascalescu

    The idea is extremely simple: use incense to track airflow, but the article you quoted takes 1000 words to describe it! Now that’s prolix!

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