So he calls them up and places an order to join the program which, in effect, does this:

FREE Programmable Thermostat Worth $350

Someone installs a $350 programmable thermostat – for FREE – at our home which lets Horizon Utilities and the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) send a wireless signal that alters our central air conditioner’s compressor cycle to 15 minutes on, then 15 minutes off for 4 hours (with no disruption to our comfort, we are assured).

If we want, we can also allow them to add a switch to our electric hot water tank so that, at times, the utility company and OPA can turn off power to the electric water heater for up to 3 hours.

Not Natural Gas? You’re Facing a Wait List

The peaksaver rep calls me to set it up, but when he finds out it’s forced air oil heating, he says there is a waiting list since not many of their technicians are trained in that type.

Turns out, we actually have natural gas heating (you’d think I’d know, eh? I knew that the gas fireplace and BBQ uses it, but not the dryer, so got confused) – so the peaksaver folks could have come out and hooked us up right away!

And – as usual in our race to get eco-friendly while cashing in all we can – there is a time limit to this, if we want monies back. In the next 2 weeks, to get the full $50 rebate, we need to:

• Have the programmable thermostat installed in our home by Nov. 30, 2009
• Give proof that we’ve had our furnace cleaned sometime in 2009

I dunno if we have to cash in on every single rebate! I mean, we automatically get a $25 rebate just for signing up for peaksaver. Do I need to rush another service appointment – admidst the contractors starting to arrive at our doorstep – to get our furnace cleaned, for a measly $25? (Don’t ask my husband; I know the answer

Too “Big Brother” for You?

Meanwhile, one of my friends and fellow resident of Dundas, Ontario, is adamantly against the whole notion behind the program: letting the government turn on and off your power when they see fit. Too controlling for her, she says.

I dunno. What is the big deal if, as they say in their policy…

“A peaksaver activation event could take place up to 10 times between May and Sept. between 12 p.m. and 10 p.m. but never on weekends or holidays…”

What do you think? Would it creep you out to have someone else cranking down your A/C and/or water heater during the hot months?

Eco renovation expert Gail Lawlor shows me how to caulk properly

Betcha read this post title and thought, why can’t I find something that fun to do on a sunny, unseasonably warm weekend?

Well, maybe you’re just not reading the flyers that come with your bills. I didn’t used to, but this month I actually ripped open a Union Gas bill and found a booklet announcing this demo event.

So yesterday Doug and I were off to an energy savings demo hosted by Union Gas and Sears in nearby Mapleview Mall.

The photo shows me getting a caulking lesson from independent consultant, Gail Lawlor, of Energy Matters, at the demo. She is contracted by Union Gas to instruct the  public on the fundamentals of home energy conservation.

Gail also trains contractors (for more than 20 years now) on green practices, including for RONA – with a current focus getting them to appreciate the largely untapped market around ecoENERGY retrofits, and of course, the Home Renovation Tax Credit (which most of them know about, she says.) Gail told me:

“In a room of 50 renovators, I ask ‘who knows about the ecoENERGY retrofit grants from the government, and about 3 people put their hands up. Then I ask, who is talking to their clients and prospects about these huge opportunities, and maybe 1 person puts their hand up!”

Free Stuff – Who Doesn’t Want That?

Union Gas was giving away FREE Energy Saving Kits ($35 in product) that contain the items shown below.

We haven’t unpacked our free kit yet – hey, it’s only been a day – but we’ll be using all these parts… or handing them off to contractors who comes tomorrow to give us a quote on some energy retrofits (including an insulator).

This Energy Savings Kit is free only to folks who are Union Gas customers.

If you’re a Union Gas customer, have you picked one up? Have you done anything with it yet?