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2 stouffville suntribune wi thursday april 1 2004 you can save want to save energy at home and maintain your comfort level in both summer and win ter here are some tips from the canadian energy efficiency alliance a group that hopes to change the way we think and act about energy consumption conduct a home evaluation the audit will help point out improvements to increase energy effi ciency and cut heating and hydro bills make sure your home has sufficient insulation as well as weatherproof caulking and sealing install programmable thermostats the equivalent of cruise control for your home they can save as much as 25 per cent on energy consumption use a dehumidifier dry air is cooler than humid air and a dehumidifier can help reduce reliance on air conditioning run dishwasher and laundry machines only with full loads and try to target offpeak hours between 10 pm and 7 am for more information check out the website vmwenergyeificiencyorg calcium magnesium liquid supplement every time you contract your muscles your body i uses calcium and magnesium calcium magnesium liquid supplement is scientifically prepared for easy absorption liquid supplements have a higher absorption rate than tablets supplements contains zinc vitamin d which are necessary for proper bsorption houston central pharmacy 3613 main street stouffville ontario 9056402222 hp9ra3l 1 bhhp ir r jibiitttbnb b28 l 111111 ilsi 9 t bflf s3 i j 9 7ztb windfall ecology centre executive director brent kbpperson suggests fluo rescent light bulbs as an energy saver which shed 60 watts of light but only use 15 watts staff photomike barrett bright ideas needed to fight hydro rates from page 1 appetite for the hydro that runs our televisions computers clock radios and appliances i think people typically respond fairly slowly until they get direct signals said brent kopperson whose newmarket- based windfall ecosystems con ducts home energy audits and retrofits risingprices seem to do it so do blackouts it would seem remarkable cir cumstances are what it takes to make us change our ways even if its only temporary observers cite two extraordinary circumstances the massive power failure that left southern ontario and the eastern united states in the dark last august as well as the price spikes that followed deregulation of the ontario market in the steamy summer of 2002 as instances in which consumers did heed calls to reduce consump tion in the case of the blackout there wasnt much choice we were warned if we wanted to avoid rolling blackouts following the initial catastrophic event we had to shut down the air condi tioning and take pressure off a precarious power grid and remember the summer of 2002 heavy demand and short supplies combined to send prices on the newly dereg ulated market soaring the combination of high temperatures and iffy supplies amounted to a perfect storm of circumstances that left us thinking maybe deregulation wasnt such a great idea after all said oak ridges mpp frank klees a member of the govern ment at the time the government reacted by slapping a price cap of 43 cents per kilowatt hour in place for res idences and small business restoring some order to the mar ket but at the same time perpet uating an atmosphere of artificial pricing that sees consumers pay ing nowhere near the realistic price for the power they use it is estimated that cap costs us nearly 1 billion a year the new pricing structure will see consumers paying 47 cents per kwh for the first 1000 hours they use and 55 cents per kwh thereafter that means price caps havent been lifted merely adjust ed upward mr fagen of hydro vaughan said the province has promised to introduce yet anoth er pricing structure scheme sometime next year we expect bills for the aver age household to go up on aver age 430 a month which is not huge mr fagen said still having people pay more of the real cost of their hydro is a good idea said peter love execu tive director of the canadian energy efficiency alliance based in toronto the thing were really focus ing on is that theres two parts of your electricity bill he said theres the rates part and yes thats going up but theres also the consumption part and thats something we have control over mr loves group is encourag ing the average homeowner to look at hydro the way business does as a controllable expense that if managed properly can have a beneficial effect on a households bottom line what were looking to do is embed energy efficiency in our lives mr love said there is growing awareness of the need to conserve energy mr kopperson said he credits that awareness coupled with finan cial incentives from the federal government for an increase in the number of homeowners will ing to investigate and undertake retrofits aimed at making their homes more energy efficient just a few years ago the num ber of homeowners willing to pursue retrofits after having home energy audits conducted was as low as 5 per cent mr kopperson said that has changed since government incentive programs aimed at achieving canadas commitment to thekyoto accord on reducing carbon dioxide emissions were put in place the government will pay about a quarter of the cost of a home retrofit mfcml wy- vv offer valid until april 704 no all shoes all apparel save on existing sale prices as marked includes 2004 liz claiborne collections save the equivmentf pst gst clearout 2003 11 piece sets great savings starting 14q foot joy rain vest model 34814 manufacturers cl0se0ut 50 off now assorted sizes styles only jji99 4 titleist nxt dt solo logo overrun golf balls now only wy7 en n limited quantities instock only one location only no layaways or holds hfc difcvlarcomcolf ffppr 8312 mccowan rp wwwdimarcogolfcom 2004 new arrivals new models arriving everyday callaway taylor made ping nike wilson and many more umbrellas assorte colours 099 reg now 3999 only clearance centre 9054795077