With a climate that ranges from hot to cold every year, anyone who owns a house, townhouse, apartment, or condo in the Edmonton area likely has heating and cooling systems in place. Concerns over unsustainable consumption and climate change have fostered innovation in energy-efficient technologies and moved governments to provide rebates and incentives for "green" upgrades. Currently, there are several government-sponsored programs to pay people who own homes in Edmonton to make them more environmentally friendly by reducing their energy consumption. In essence, the government will pay homeowners to save money on their electric bills! If you are a current resident or prospective buyer looking at Edmonton real estate, you probably want to know about the many programs that can help you retrofit a property that has outdated appliances and insulation.

For Heating Systems:

Heating our homes in the Edmonton area is one of the biggest contributors to our carbon footprint. One of the most important steps in reducing greenhouse gases - and our utility bills - is replacing inefficient furnaces and boilers with more energy-efficient technology. The Energy Star Standard is an industry and government recognized rating system that allows consumers to make responsible choices on appliances and other products. In cooperation with the Government of Alberta, 3C or Climate Change Central can help secure incentives of four to six hundred dollars ($400-$600) for purchasing and installing an Energy Star replacement heater or boiler after January 1, 2009. Mobile home owners who replace a zero-clearance furnace with an Energy Star qualified gas furnace may be eligible for a $400 rebate. Low Income households may also qualify for additional assistance up to $2000 to replace their furnace through the city of Edmonton's Carbon Dioxide Reduction program (CO2RE).

For Insulation:

Obsolete, damaged, or missing insulation can rob you blind in your sleep. A properly sealed home without adequate insulation will require a huge increase in energy to maintain a comfortable and healthy temperature inside, during both summer and winter. Older homes in particular can almost always benefit from an upgrade to their insulation. Properly insulated houses require much less energy to maintain than temperate living space, and this occurs at a much lower cost to the homeowner, not to mention a drastically smaller carbon footprint. CO2RE provides rebates of up to $250 for upgrading your insulation, and this rebate piggybacks on Federal and Provincial rebates within program restrictions.

For Windows, Doors, and Skylights:

These are also called "fenestration" products, from the Latin word fenestra (window). Upgrading to Energy Star compliant fenestration products can save between 7 and 12 percent on home heating and cooling costs. Condensation, humidity, and heat loss are the most common problems associated with outdated and/or worn out windows, doors, and skylights. This means that substandard fenestration products can damage the structure of your home while they simultaneously rob your heating and cooling budget and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. These are more than enough reason to consider improvements. Replacing your less than efficient windows, doors, and skylights may help you qualify for a regional incentive under the eco-energy retrofit program.

For Weatherstripping and Air Leaks:

Worn weatherstripping excels at one thing and one thing only: transferring your money to the utility companies! While there are specific tests that can gauge the condition of your weatherstripping, when it doubt you should generally swap it out. Leaks around doors and windows are typically the biggest money and energy wasters in the home. Good weatherstripping, when properly installed, makes all the difference in the world, especially for homes in Edmonton where the climatic differences between winter and summer are so significant. Sealing leaks can take hundreds of dollars off the heating bill on some houses, especially older ones. Countrywide grants may be available for such improvements through the federal government's Eco Action program.

For Cooling Systems:

Not only do old and inefficient cooling systems, window units and central units contribute to excess pollution and high utility bills,  but they may also contain harmful chemicals and pollutants which are hazardous to your health. Replacing your existing home cooling system with an Energy Star compliant system may help you qualify for grant money whether replacing window or central units, and newer technology poses much less danger in terms of chemicals. In this way, an Energy Star compliant unit can be an important part of your ecoRefit.

While Edmonton may be the "Oil Capital" of Canada, climate change, concerns over pollution and unsustainable consumption, a struggling world economy and a renewed sense of responsibility all are strong arguments for replacing and upgrading fittings and appliances. Government grants and rebates are just the icing on the economic cake. So what are you waiting for? Save yourself some money now by replacing your old appliances, fittings, and insulation with help from the government!