Realtor Care Foundation

I give back to the community by contributing to the Realtor Care Foundation. It is a charity I know helps people and my financial contribution helps to build Homes for Humanity.

Furnace Fitness

A heating system converts fuel into heat which then flows through a house. The efficiency of a heating system depends on the amount of fuel consumed to meet heating needs. Using less fuel means your system has increased its energy efficiency.

Check your heating system first
One way to maximize output using the least amount of fuel is to reduce air leakage. Before deciding to replace or upgrade your present heating system you will have to consider how much of your present system can be saved. Are the heating ducts or water distribution pipes in good condition? Oil and gas fired furnaces require a constant supply of air to operate, because fire needs oxygen to burn. An air-starved furnace can cause carbon monoxide to build-up in quantities that can be dangerous.

Additional ventilation can sometimes be required in houses with heating systems that require little or no indoor air, electrically heated homes, homes with chimney-free condensing furnaces, or houses with a fuel burning furnace enclosed in a room with air for combustion from the outside.

Improve heating efficiency
If you decide to change your system, you'll have to consider what type of fuel you want to use. Cost and availability of fuel is usually the deciding factor. If you're keeping your present system, here are a few ways you can improve its operation.

· Hot air ducts are notorious wasters of heat and money. If your basement feels too warm, too much heat is probably seeping out of your ducts. You can seal all joints and seams in the ducting with vinyl duct tape. With forced air-systems, the furnace filters should be changed regularly.

· With hot water systems, the exposed accessible heating pipes should be insulated with flexible foil- faced fiberglass at least 19mm thick. If there is an aquastat on the boiler, (a water temperature control) the water temperature can be reduced to about 49 Celsius of 120 Fahrenheit during warmer parts of the heating season. (If your boiler is made of stainless steel, or if your main boiler also heats your domestic hot water, you shouldn't reduce the water).

· "Downsizing" your oil furnace can reduce fuel bills by seven to 10 per cent. Retention head burners mix the air and oil spray very quickly which permits the combustion of oil with less air. Less air entering the burner means that less heat escapes out the chimney.

If you think you might be having problems with household air supply, contact a registered heating contractor for advice. Source: OREA

About Me

Since 1997, my real estate experience has been in and around Gta, downtown, Toronto West, Mississauga, including outskirt cities such as North Toronto in King Township, Burlington, Oakville - residential properties including condos, homes, horse farms and rural property, and vacant land. Born in Toronto native to the Baby Point neighbourhood on the Humber River, I attended Humbercrest Public School and chose a career path to sustain a Senior Programmer Analyst position in a corporate setting for 20 years. I always felt a high level of satisfaction when helping others, whether training them, educating them, or just plain helping others with chores to make things easier for them. To give the highest level of real estate expertise to the public I furthered my education to become a real estate broker. With my past analytical (problem solving) background experience and my regular use of coaches and training keeps me advanced in the technical world in synch with buyers and sellers of real estate. In effect, this gets you the highest demand for your home and gets buyers what they are looking for with high speed efficiency. My philosophy is of high esteem. In order to save the public unbelievable amounts of money I have a state of the art system for buyers and sellers.