Control those leaks
Leaky faucets are more than an annoyance—they’re costing you money! A slow but steady drip can waste almost 50 gallons of water a day. Over the course of a year, that adds up to 18,250 gallons! And speaking of faucets, the latest styles are more than attractive. Look for new models that are designed to conserve water. You can use up to a 1/3 less water, depending on the faucet you choose.

Caulk and weather strip windows and doors
Caulk the interior of any fixed, single pane windows you have, applying the caulking where the sash meets the frame and where the trim meets the wall. For exterior doors and windows that open, apply weather stripping where two surfaces meet.

Maintain and repair
Change your furnace filter regularly and have your heating system serviced once a year by a heating professional.

Take control of your heating system
Programmable thermostats, available at hardware stores, will automatically adjust the temperature based on the time and day of the week, so there’s no worry of accidentally leaving the heat on after hours.

“I absolutely trust John to do a great job every time I ask him to do work for me. I know that it will be done on time and budget, without any problems. Professional is the best word to describe their company and employees. I will always highly recommend Vision Plumbing & Heating. ” – Alan Moffat, A&L Computers

As the owner of the Sandlewood Hotel, I have done business with Vision Mechanical for 12 years. I have been more than satisfied with all their repair services and would be happy to recommend them.
- Moreh Dalla Porta

One call to Vision Mechanical and they were there for us. They came and installed our outside shower for our new pool. Seeing the work that was done, we were pleasantly surprised to be on time and on budget. After owning several homes and dealing with many contractors over the years, we know that on time and on budget rarely happens.
- Thanks again, Ron and Jackie Mitchell

Top up and even double your incentive

Participate in LiveSmartBC’s Light Commercial Boiler Program or their Efficient Commercial Water Heater Program and any incentive you qualify for from FortisBC will be matched by the LiveSmartBC Small Business Program.

Participate in their Efficient Boiler Program and LiveSmart BC will contribute up to $1,495. That’s on top of any rebate you qualify for from FortisBC.

Are you eligible?
In order to participate your business must:

• have a location in BC where the program will be implemented
• have 50 employees or less
• be a registered business
• be privately owned and operated
• have a small commercial natural gas account under one of the following FortisBC Rate Schedules: 2, 2.1 2U, SCS-1, SCS-2 or LCS-

To apply complete the LiveSmart BC: Small Business Program waiver form and FortisBC’s Light Commercial ENERGY STAR Boiler Program application form

Then submit the waiver, your FortisBC application, and all supporting documents via mail, fax or email to:

FortisBC Energy Inc.,
Energy Efficiency and Conservation – Commercial Programs
16705 Fraser Highway
Surrey, BC, V4N 0E8
Fax: 604-592-7618

Here are some simple ways to use less energy in your strata block or apartment complex:

Boilers

Maintain your boilers and associated systems. Get your maintenance contractor to measure boiler efficiency at least once every year.

• Turn off boilers and heating pumps in the summer. If some residents require heat in warmer weather, it’s cheaper to provide them with portable heaters.
• Get your maintenance contractor to check the control system. Inadequate or incorrectly operating controls can increase your costs by 20 per cent.
• Replace your boiler if it’s more than 25 years old. Installing new high-efficiency units can reduce your gas usage by up to 30 per cent.

Fireplaces

• Turn off pilot lights in the summer.
• Use automatic fireplace shut-off timers. Timers run for one hour, then need to be reset, and can yield major savings.
• Make sure fireplaces are part of your annual maintenance schedule.

Make-up Air Units

• Turn off heating in the summer months.
• Set temperature controls to 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit). This temperature is usually sufficient for corridors, stairs and hallways.

Tank-Type Water Heaters

Make sure tank-type heaters are part of your annual maintenance schedule.
Think about changing tank-type heaters to boiler/storage tank combinations for major cost and energy savings

Storage Tanks

• Make sure storage tanks are well insulated.

Pipes

• Insulate all hot water pipes in the boiler room and any running through unheated areas such as parkades. Make sure that valves and flanges are insulated.

Water Temperature

• Set the water temperature at 55 degrees Celsius (131 degrees Fahrenheit). Hotter temperature settings waste energy while lower settings can lead to increased bacterial growth.

Showers & Faucets

• Install low-flow showerheads and save up to 30 per cent on your hot water usage. Flow reducers on faucets can offer additional savings.

Swimming Pools

• Adjust temperature settings so that the air temperature in the indoor pool area is higher than the water temperature — this greatly reduces heat loss from the pool.
• Cover the pool and hot tub when not in use to reduce heat loss and evaporation.
• Reduce indoor ventilation rates at night when the pool is not being used.
• Cover the pool throughout the period when it is being heated before the start of the season.

Water heater technology has evolved. Today’s high performance natural gas models offer efficiencies of up to 95 per cent and are more reliable than standard models. Whether you’re building new or upgrading, installing a high-efficiency water heater is one way to prevent your profits from running down the drain.

Another is to apply for a rebate of up to $15,000. To be eligible, water heaters must be included in our list of qualifying water heaters.

How to apply

1. Review the terms and conditions
2. Contact Vision Mechanical
3. Have Vision Mechanical install a qualifying model
4. Complete one application for each water heater installed. Include a copy of the gas permit and invoice
5. Within 90 days of installation, mail or fax your application to

Energy Efficiency & Conservation
FortisBC Energy Inc.,
16705 Fraser Highway
Surrey, BC, V4N 0E8
Fax: 604-592-7618

For more information contact FortisBC at 1-866-884-8833, option 1 or bemail: commercialrebates@fortisbc.com

LiveSmart BC is offering over $7,000 in rebates to new participants, and until March 31, 2012 ecoENERGY is offering up to $5,000 in grants. That’s $12,000 in rebates!

Energy-efficient improvements that qualify for rebates include:

• space heating
• water heating
• insulation
• windows
• doors and more

For a full list of the energy efficient rebates visit LiveSmart BC Efficiency Incentive Guide.

What is an EnerChoice fireplace?
All fireplaces sold in Canada have an EnerGuide™ label that tells you how energy efficient it is. There is no ENERGY STAR® rating for fireplaces, so in BC, manufacturers developed the EnerChoice designation to identify the most efficient models.

When shopping for a new fireplace, look for the energuide logo (see sample), certifying that the model is among the top 25 percentile of efficiency.

To qualify for EnerChoice status hearths must have minimum efficiency ratings of:
• 62.4 per cent or higher for fireplaces
• 61 per cent or higher for inserts
• 66 per cent or higher for free-standing stoves

Eligible EnerChoice fireplaces include gas fireplace inserts, zero clearance gas fireplaces, and freestanding fireplaces.

For details, including a rebate application form visit the Fortis Website.