Winter is coming, here's how to keep heating costs down

As the weather cools, many Albertans will soon be switching the furnace on for the first time in months - and seeing costs rise as the cold creeps in. However, some experts say there are small steps that can be taken to help keep the thermostat dial - and utility costs - down.

Joel MacDonald, founder of energyrates.ca, said Albertans haven’t started feeling the effects of higher natural gas rates yet, but they will. He said – unlike electricity, which is more even during the year – natural gas price hikes will feel higher as the costs are concentrated between November and March.

“The actual cost to Albertan families hasn’t hit their pocketbook and it’s not really going to hit until November, December and at that point a lot of people are going to see natural gas bills that are two to three times higher than what they’re used to,” MacDonald said.

“[That] can really almost feel like a six or nine times increase because it’s taking up a lot more of your monthly budget during the winter.”

MacDonald said switching to a fixed rate energy plan is an easy way to keep utility bills down and have some cost certainty over the winter. He recommends people look around for the lowest natural gas retail option for fixed rate and switch over until at least the spring.

“If we happen to find world peace, and there’s no more wars going on and natural gas supplies in Europe are sorted out – great, you can look at going on a floating rate.”

UPGRADES

A fixed-rate plan can help keep costs on natural gas manageable, but there are other options homeowners can take to help make the most of the gas they are buying.

Matthew Ingvardsen, a registered energy advisor, assesses homes for ways to improve energy efficiency. He said people usually worry about cold spots in the home, but there is a bigger problem that could be leading to heat loss.

“We spend a lot of time educating on air sealing, because that’s usually what’s lacking in those scenarios,” Ingvardsen said. “We heat the air that we live in, and then we lose it. And that’s kind of our main focus.”

In addition to helping keep hot air in, Ingvardsen says there are other easy steps to take to improve efficiency and reduce costs, including switching to LED lightbulbs, fixing or upgrading appliances in the home and even just remembering to turn things off.

For those looking to take energy efficiency a step further, there are federal and provincial grants that will help pay for upgrades and repairs in the home. Ingvardsen said the Edmonton’s Home Energy Retrofit Accelerator can also be combined with Canada Greener Homes Grant to maximize money back.

“In a rebate program, it’s hard to convince people to take the extra step even though it aligns with their goals,” Ingvardsen said. “I think identifying certain things that ambitious homeowners can do, or low hanging fruit so to speak, is really important.”

Ingvardsen said an advisor can help homeowners navigate grants and put a personal touch on plans to upgrade by offering custom recommendations based on each unique home tied into what rebates are available.

“I can walk through with them and talk about what would better impact their living here, and make them more comfortable and then tie that in to also to lower utility bills and a smaller environmental footprint.”

For die-hard DIY fans, Ingvardsen said Natural Resource Canada’s guide, Keeping the Heat In, is a good place to start looking.

“I thought we would be looking at huge renovations that we would need crews in here for weeks to complete, but to hear that we can do a lot of that ourselves is kind of like a great bonus to having a professional come and look at your house,” said homeowner Julie Doan-Prevost, who had her home recently assessed by Ingvardsen.

“These little things that you can do around your house will really already make a difference in your pocket, and they’re things that you would already perhaps be going in and repairing or looking at anyway. So just to tack that on is beneficial for your wallet and the planet.”

With files from Jessica Robb.