While we would like to replace them -  the ecoENERGY retrofitting rebate from the government is not very much ($80 per rough opening). And our home auditor told us that new windows don’t really bring much energy savings in terms of lower heating bills.

Since this winter is so ridiculously mild (NO SNOW and it’s almost February!) we just went around and sealed the old windows on the main floor and basement, like we have other winters. (Shown here is one of our basement windows with its 50-year-old single-pane glass.)

We bought a window-sealer kit at our local hardware store: plastic wrap (thin, like Saran-Wrap) and double-sided tape. You put tape on the window frame, attach plastic to the tape, and then use your hair dryer to shrink the plastic so there aren’t ripples in it.

All the main floor windows aren’t done yet (only the huge front bay window in the livingr00m) but we don’t have the same sense of urgency we have in past winters… Because our newly insulated main floor walls are making the rooms toastier. No more wind whistling through the plaster to make our guests shiver, with us running to jack up the thermostat! And our new EnergyStar steel front door had made the front hall warmer, too!

Maybe next year – but in time to meet our specific deadline of Feb. 2011 – we will purchase new EnergyStar qualified windows and have them installed on the main floor. But as mentioned, at only $80 each in combined fed and provincial rebates, that grand total of $640 won’t make much of a dent in the thousands they will cost.

BEFORE: Our old front door, right

AFTER: Our new EnergyStar front door, far right

About a week ago we had our old, drafty wooden front door replaced with a new EnergyStar-certified (to climate zone B) steel and lead-glass front door.

Here’s what the new door actually cost us:

Door (prehung): $480
Cost of contractor to hang door: $500
Handle & lock set: $120
Total costs: $1,100

Minus:
HRTC credit (13%): $143
ecoEnergy rebates:
provincial: $40
federal: $40
Total deductions: $223

What our new door – all in – actually cost us: $877

According to our home energy audit report, we are supposed to keep the door sticker to show the auditor at the end of all eco renovations in order to claim it for the rebate money. We tried to follow that advice, but the only way to get the damn sticker off the glass of the new door was to scrub it thoroughly with warm water, which naturally dissolved it to illegible shreds.

Sigh… We call this “Heather’s door” because it is Heather’s dream to bring light into our coffin-like kitchen with virtually no light from the small, west-facing window. But, when you open the front door, which opens into the kitchen, sunlight pours into the kitchen, transforming it into a warm, inviting place.

Our official Home Energy Audit report says the following about the priority we should give to our windows and doors as part of our green retrofits.

Windows and Doors:

• Replace 9 windows with models that are ENERGY STAR qualified for climate zone B.
  Federal incentive: $360
• Replace 2 exterior doors with a model that is ENERGY STAR qualified for climate zone B.
  Federal incentive: $80
  Potential Rating Improvement: 1.2 points for ALL 9 windows and 2 doors

A mere drop in the bucket this is: $440 in incentives/rebates, and a measly 1.2 EnerGuide points…. when you consider the fact that more than $10,000 in rebates is available, and that we need to gain 21 EnerGuide points to qualify for those rebates!

On top of that, the energy auditor who visited our home told us that a new door won’t save a lot in energy bills during the course of a year, either.

But hey, what about quality of life? What if Heather’s door makes Heather a nicer person to live with?! That’s gotta be worth a lot of points in someone’s books.

Because I was surfing around for more government programs to help offset our eco renovation costs when I discovered…

A $100 rebate for an Enbridge natural gas heating system that ENDS Sept. 7th – and that’s only eight days from now!

Maybe you can get your ducks in a row that fast, so here is the info anyway.

Oh, lookie here… we can still get $15 off on a programmable thermostat. Oh, wait… I just walked downstairs to check our thermostat; sigh, ours is already programmable, thanks anyway. (Doug bought that a few years back when he could no longer stand the hot-cold-hot-cold behaviour of living with a female; he wanted pre-set numbers around the clock.)

Meanwhile, we ARE considering making a switch to a more energy-efficient water heater. I am going to bookmark this $300 on-bill rebate for an Energy Star Qualified natural gas tankless water heater.

Our home audit report suggests that we go with an “Energy Star qualified instantaneous (condensing) gas-fired water heater that has an energy factor of 0.90 or higher.” It does NOT mention anything about “tankless” which is necessary as stipulated by Enbridge for their $300 rebate. (arrgggh! Do I need a PhD to figure this stuff out?!)

OH NO, wait!… as I type this, I am reading the itty bitty fine print about this rebate and I have to have installed the natural gas tankless water heater BY AUGUST 31… which is tomorrow!  Given that today is a Sunday and most retailers are closed, I am not thinking we can get it that fast.

I really have to stay on top of these rebate programs; I hate watching free money go past!!