A few days before the start of our Renovation Lessons for Property Owners, Ronald Gagnon(Technical and Business Development Director at Collaboration Québec, Coop de Solidarité en Ingénierie et Construction), answers our questions on heating, ventilation, plumbing and electrical systems. He will also be giving a training session on this same topic on February 15 and 17.
For the past year, we've been spending a lot of time at home every day. What advice would you give us on how to keepour electricity bill from skyrocketing?
Unless you are extremely rigorous and aggressive in lowering the temperature of your home, occupying it 8 hours more per day will have very little impact on your energy bill. Using a computer for 8 hours costs about $0.12, so 200 days of telecommuting a year will ruin you by a magnificent $24.
When buying a house, what are the major elements to check in terms of electricity, heating, and plumbing?
- Compliance with codes and standards
- The general condition of the components
On a daily basis, can you give us 3 or 4 tips for maintaining the heating, ventilation, plumbing and electrical systems of a property?
- Flush the domestic hot water tank for a few seconds every three months.
- Replace washer hoses every five years.
- Clean the dryer exhaust duct annually.
- Change or clean ERV / HRV and heating and air conditioning filters every three months.
- If you have combustion appliances (boiler, furnace, etc.): have them inspected and adjusted annually.
What are the solutions for a sustainable future?
- Low-tech solutions, better insulation and higher-quality windows
- Well-sized and well-operated systems
- Choosing materials through a more positive life cycle analysis
Thank you to Ronald Gagnon for answering our questions!
To learn more about heating, ventilation, plumbing and electrical systems, register now for the Renovation Lesson given by Ronald Gagnon by clicking here. The training will take place on February 15 and 17.
Also consult the Renovation Lessons program on our website. The winter session will take place from February 8 to March 3, 2021.
Click here to read our interview with Octavio Salcedo, carpenter.
Thanks to our major partner
Héritage Montréal is a proud partner of Ville de Montréal.
