Green Your Home and Save Money!!!

50 Ways to Green Your Home and Save $$$ in Greater Vancouver 

LOCATION

1) Choosing Where You Live

Green neighbourhoods. Buy a home in a neighbourhood close to work, transit, 

shopping, community centres and other services.

2) Transit-oriented density (TOD) 

New, compact, complete green neighbourhoods are being built with transit as their 

focus. Instead of owning a car, join a car share cooperative, take transit, cycle or walk. 

3) Lower Cost Luxury

If it’s features such as a gym or pool you want, buy a strata unit with these amenities 

and share costs. 

4) Score your Location

Walkable neighbourhoods offer health, environmental, financial and community 

benefits. Enter your address or the address of a home you want to buy at 

www.walkscore.com. This tool calculates a walkability score based on the home’s 

proximity to transit, grocery stores, schools and other amenities. 

HOME IMPROVEMENT

5) Heating and Cooling 

Get an energy audit LiveSmart BC will cover $150 of the cost. 

6) Install a High-Efficiency Heating System

Make sure it’s ENERGY STAR rated. 

7) Weatherize your Home

From windows (BC Hydro provides grants of $60-$120) to doors to insulation and 

weather stripping. Don’t forget to seal your ducts. 

8) Insulate your Pipes

It will prevent costly heat loss. Here’s how. 

9) Insulate your Hot Water Heater

Buy a pre-cut jacket or blanket for $10–$20. You’ll save up to 10% on heating costs. 

10) Install a Programmable Thermostat

Set it lower at night and during the day when you’re away. Lower the temperature. 

Each degree below 20C saves you 3-5% on heating costs. 

11) Clean your Furnace Filter 

This optimizes performance. 

12) Get the Most from your Fireplace

Here’s how to make it efficient. 

13) Use Curtains 

In the daytime during summer, close to help cool your home. 

14) Install Ceiling Fans 

The energy it takes to run a fan is less than an air conditioner. In summer, make sure 

the fan’s blades are rotating anti-clockwise for a cooling effect. In winter, the fan should

 be running clockwise, pushing the warm air down. 

15) Use an Electic Fan

Skip the air conditioning. On hot summer days, place a bowl of ice in front of a fan to 

cool down. 

WATER

16) Fix Leaks

Fix leaking taps. One drop per second equals 7,000 litres of water wasted per year. 

17) Install a Filter

Stop buying costly bottled water which adds to the landfill. 
 

LIGHTING

18) Change your Light Bulbs

Lighting accounts for 15% of your energy bill. Replace old bulbs with ENERGY STAR

 rated bulbs. Check for rebates. 

19) Sensor Lights

Turn lights off outside when not in use.

20) Keep it Dark 

Light pollution is an increasing problem. Turn off outdoor lights to save energy and 

encourage night life such as bats and frogs. A single bat can eat tens of thousands of 

mosquitoes nightly. If you have safety concerns, use motion detector lights – which 

come on, only as needed.
 
21) Holiday Lights 

Use LED lights.

KITCHEN

22) Replace your Fridge 

An old energy guzzling fridge costs you about $85 a year to operate. Replace it with 

an ENERGY STAR fridge. BC Hydro will rebate you $50. BC Hydro will also not only

 come and pick up your old fridge free-of charge, they’ll rebate you $30. 

23) Replace your Dishwasher

Buy an ENERGY STAR appliance. BC Hydro will rebate you $25. 

24) Replace your Freezer

Buy an ENERGY STAR appliance and BC Hydro will rebate you $25.

BATHROOM

25) Low Flow Shower 

Hot water accounts for 25% of your energy costs. For a $15 investment you can save 

half the water of a standard shower say experts. 

26) High Efficiency or Dual Flush (you choose the amount of water used) Toilets 

These are now required in new homes because of water savings.

OFFICE

27) Use Smart Strips

Also known as power bars, this lets you power off all equipment at the same time. 

28) Buy Energy Smart Electronics 

There are rebates available. 

29) Recycle your Old Electronics

Look into safe recycling options for old electronics.

YARD IMPROVEMENT

30) Conserve Water

Fresh water comprises just 3% the world’s total water supply, so conserve. Get a rain 

barrel and harvest water you can use in your garden. Local governments such as 

Vancouver and Richmond will subsidize the cost. 

31) Drip Irrigation 

It saves water compared to sprinklers. 

32) Elbow Grease 

Don’t power wash your driveway. Sweep it or use a scrub brush and pail. 

33) Less Lawn 

Lawns waste water. Instead conserve and beautify using indigenous plants such as 

ferns, tiger lilies and hostas. 

34) Grow your Own

How much more will you spend on food this year? Even a few miniature fruit trees 

and a small vegetable garden in a raised bed or in containers will help keep you 

healthy and save you dollars. Lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries 

and blueberries thrive in our climate. 

35) Preserve your Produce

Invest in home canning jars and equipment and a small freezer and enjoy your 

produce year round – at considerable savings. 

36) Bee Friendly

We need bees to pollinate, so get a few plant bee-friendly annuals such as asters, 

marigolds, sunflowers, zinnias; or perennials such as clematis, foxgloves, hollyhocks, 

roses or shrubs such as Buddleia. 

37) Go Chemical-Free 

“Get rid of weeds without using chemicals that harm us and our pets,” advises 

REALTOR® and Richmond City counselor, Derek Dang, who led the way to a bylaw 

banning cosmetic pesticides. His suggestion, “Use dish detergent or weed by hand.”

38) Plant fruit trees 

They’ll give you shade and fruit. Plum, apple, pear and more. 

39) Compost

It will make your garden grow and divert waste from the landfill. 

GREEN AND CLEAN

40) Clean Green

Vinegar, baking soda and lemons clean as well as expensive, chemical-filled cleaning 

supplies for a fraction of the cost. 

41) Green Laundry Detergent

Use phosphate-free, biodegradable detergent. 

42) Upgrade your Washing Machine 

Replace your old washing machine with an ENERGY STAR washer that gets clothes 

clean using cold water and BC Hydro will rebate you $75. Wait until you have a full 

load instead of washing clothes as you need them. Clean your lint trap after every use. 

43) Install a Clothesline

Dryers use a huge amount of energy. 

44) Get a Rack 

If your neighbourhood or strata prohibits clotheslines, buy a small drying rack. 

LIVING GREEN 

45) Recycle 

Replace your old washing machine with an ENERGY STAR washer that gets clothes 

clean using cold water and BC Hydro will rebate you $75. Wait until you have a full 

load instead of washing clothes as you need them. Clean your lint trap after every use. 

46) Buy Local

Your food doesn’t travel long distances, you support local farmers and the local 

economy and you consume less pesticides. 

47) Don’t use Paper or Plastic

Use cloth bags when you shop or reuse your plastic bags.

FINANCING 

48) Borrow Green

Most financial institutions offer “green” mortgages, including: 

BMO Eco Smart Mortgage - offers home buyers a 3.89% rate on qualifying green 

properties. 

RBC Energy Saver™ Mortgage - gives home buyers a $300 rebate for a home energy

 audit and a five-year 4.34% rate. 

TD Canada Trust - offers a Green Mortgage and Green Home Equity line of credit. 

For each green mortgage TD donates $100 to the TD Friends of the Environment 

Foundation. 

Vancity - offers a Bright Ideas home renovation loan at prime +1% to home buyers 

owners making green renovations. 

The City of Vancouver with Vancity and others - offers an energy loan program for 

home buyers and owners making energy efficient upgrades at 4.5% fixed rate over 10 

years. 

CMHC - offers a 10% Mortgage Loan Premium refund and possible extended 

amortization for buyers purchasing an energy-efficient mortgage or making energy 

saving renovations. 

RESOURCES 

49) Green Tool Kit 

BC Real Estate Association’s Green Tool Kit provides information, references and links. It also provides comprehensive information on rebates and incentives. 

COMING SOON 

50) Loan Programs 

Pay-as-you-Save (PAYS) loan program will help home owners and businesses 

finance energy efficiency improvements through a loan from BC Hydro or FortisBC. 

Expected to launch in 2012. 

Source: REBGV. 

Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver • January 2012