Home Heating In Calgary – Make It Efficient With New Tax Credits By Bruce Orr At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Home heating in Calgary – a cold, northern city – is expensive. And with most people worried about the environmental effects of wasted energy, concerns about the efficiency of home heating go far beyond mere dollars and cents.

Solutions to the home heating challenge do exist. New furnaces are far more efficient than their older counterparts. High-efficiency furnaces use far less energy, without sacrificing comfort in the home. Humidifiers installed on furnaces make it feel warmer, so there is less need to turn up the thermostat on a bitterly cold Calgary day.

It all sounds great, but what about the price? Of course, costs are a major concern, especially in today’s economic climate. Fortunately, the government has stepped in with a great new tax credit to help you make your home heating system more efficient.

Renovation Tax Credit for Home Heating Systems

The Canadian government launched a new federal home renovation tax credit program in February, 2009. Applicable to any home renovation project, the program offers homeowners a tax credit of up to $1,350. The actual parameters of the program are defined as follows: a 15% tax credit on renovation expenses, for projects that cost between $1,000 and $10,000.

If you want to take advantage of this tax credit, you don’t have a lot of time. The government is making it available for only one year. So, if your home heating system needs replacing, now is perhaps the best time to do it.

Not only can you take advantage of the tax credit, your new home heating system will make you eligible for a grant through the ecoEnergy retrofit program, from Natural Resources Canada. In its last budget, the federal government added more funds to the retrofit program, to help more Canadians improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

Cost Savings from a New High-Efficiency Furnace

So, once you get your new furnace, what kind of savings can you expect? It depends on the model you choose, but most estimates peg monthly energy bill savings at between 15% and 20% - a very significant number.

Not only will you save money, you will reduce your carbon footprint. According to Alberta’s Climate Change Central, replacing your current furnace with an energy-efficient model can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by at least 1.4 tonnes annually.

More Than Just a Furnace

Of course, true home heating efficiency requires more than just a new furnace. You need to ensure that your home is airtight. To qualify for the ecoEnergy retrofit, you need to get a home energy audit done. This audit will show you where your house is losing heat, so you can fix those problems –by adding insulation, sealing doors and windows etc. – before you get your new furnace.

Heating your Home Efficiently in a Cold Climate – It Can Be Done

Calgary, like other Prairie cities, experiences extremely cold winters that make efficient home heating a challenge. Luckily, new technologies and government incentives are available to help you overcome these challenges. For more information, talk to your local heating contractor.

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