Reducing your eco footprint at home

Home energy use makes up 16% of our footprint. Take action at home to reduce your footprint and save money.

What can you do?

Turn down your heat.

• Use a programmable thermostat and turn down your heat at night.
• Lower your thermostat by 5 degrees for an 8 hour period and save 2% per degree, or up to $50/year!
• For more information, visit Natural Resorces Canada - Thermostats. 

Improve your home's insulation

• Improving your home's insulation can save you up to $167/year. R50 is recommended for the attic and R20 for basement external walls (R=measure of insulation).
• Add weather stripping to doors and windows and wrap pipes to save even more.
• For more information, visit Climate Change Central - Insulation. 

Turn off electronics and lights when not in use

• Turn off one 60 watt incandescent bulb for six hours and save up to $18/bulb/year.
• Replace one 100 watt incandescent bulb with a 27 watt compact fluorescent bulb and save up to $22/bulb/year. Find out how much you can save with this calculator.
• Use a power bar (with or without a timer) to turn off electronics when not in use. Learn more about phantom or standyby power.

Questions or comments? Email them to footprint@calgary.ca.

More energy saving resources

• Find out about energy rebates in Alberta.
• Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency has information on energy conservation, incentives and grants.
• Green Calgary lists actions you can take.
• Save money and energy with BC Power Smart tips.
• Download the Sustainability at home: A toolkit for more ideas.