Thursday, July 11, 2013

After The Storm


I guess the summer of 2013 will go down in record books.  Being that Toronto survived a gruelling rain storm that caused havoc throughout the city and surrounding areas.  The last blackout we had, we didn't have to deal with flooding.  We just had no power.  The residents of Etobicoke suffered a little longer than most (at least what I heard) as they were without power for about 2 days.

At this point, we have ALL looked over our Home Insurance Policies and, if needed, we called our carriers and had someone come out and look at the damage if there was any.  We were very fortunate on my street in the Sheridan Homelands as no one had a flooded basement.  I can't speak for anyone else, but I didn't see much damaged goods placed out to dry or to be picked up by trash the following day.  We had power within four hours.  Others were a little longer in Mississauga, and then there were those who were fortunate to have power back sooner.

We are being asked to help preserve power usage so that we don't have a blackout due to sudden surges of power once it has come back on.  I imagine most, including myself, charged up all their phones, mobile devices, etc. as soon as the  power comes on.  Maybe it's time to think about to use our energy a little differently.  Oh, and don't forget to start backing up the information on your computers!

Most of our energy is used for heating and cooling the home, with hot water coming in a close second place.   Good energy habits help you save money and the way we use energy plays a big role in how much we’re paying for it.  Simple choices we make every day can go a long way to help us manage our energy use, cut costs and protect the environment around the year.

You have probably heard about how to lower energy costs:

1.  Choose off-peak hours.  Of course these hours vary from household to household.  If you are shift work, your hours will be different from the 'typical' off peak hours.  Weekends and evenings are typically when electricity rates are the lowest.

2.  Use a programmable thermostat to reduce energy use. 

3.  Consider caulking and weather stripping.  Plugging up air leaks is pretty inexpensive and helps save during the winter and summer months.  While the weather is warm, perhaps this is a good time to check out your caulking and weather stripping around all your doors and windows.

These are just 3.  Do you have some that you possibly could add?  Make your own list.  Then, when you have a few minutes, try to complete the list while the weather is warm.

This storm took us all by surprise.  It certainly proved to many of us how much we depend on our electronic devices, and on technology, to function.  I heard someone say yesterday: "I got angry, I cried, I started clearing out the basement, I looked at all the memories that were lost, I was hot...then, after all the emotions were spent, I knew that my family was safe and no one could take away our memories." 

It's going to take a few days until we stop talking about this, but we will continue.  It will be stored in our memories.  Things will be fixed.  All in all, our families are safe!

Just a point of view from me!

Betty Bartusevicius, Sales Representative  ASA
RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc., Brokerage
905 828 3434
DIRECT: 416 427 1875
EMAIL: betty@bettybart.com
WEB SITE:  www.bettybart.com





 

 

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