Save Money and Improve Your Home’s Resale Value!
10 Steps to a Cooler Planet – Save Money and Improve Your Home’s Resale Value!
Each Canadian generates, on average, five tonnes of greenhouse gases a year that are linked to climate change. The good news, says Tanya Hutchens, is there are things each of us can do to reduce our ecological footprint without having to make drastic changes to our lifestyles.
From better transportation choices to changing the way we heat, cool and light our homes, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has 10 steps we can all take to help keep our planet healthy, all while saving money, living in healthier and more comfortable homes, and increasing our home’s resale values:
- Don’t drive — use transit: Simply switching some of your local travel from a car to public transit can save up to 230 kg of CO2 per year for every 1,000 km you drive.
- Think smaller: Dropping your family vehicle a size or two can eliminate 1,100 – 2,600 kg of CO2 each year — and save you hundreds of dollars at the gas pump!
- Stay grounded: For shorter family trips, taking the bus or train instead of traveling by plane could do both the planet and your wallet a favor.
- Reduce your home heating bills: If you live in an older home, improving the energy-efficiency, or even just lowering the thermostat by as little as 1°C, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Reconsider your space needs: Larger homes use considerably more energy so, the next time you move, ask yourself if a smaller home might better fit your needs.
- Buy green: When buying appliances, choosing the most energy-efficient models can save up to 400 kg of CO2 a year.
- Stay out of hot water: Wrapping your hot water heater in a thermal blanket, washing clothes in cold water and installing low flow showerheads and faucet aerators (which mix air into the water stream, thus producing a steady flow) saves both energy and water.
- Eat your vegetables: Adopting a less meat-intensive diet can have a significant impact on your ecological footprint — and your family’s health!
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Cutting your garbage production by just one bag a week could save your family 300 kg of CO2 a year.
- You have the power: In response to consumer demand, many utility companies are introducing Green Power options at a premium price. By switching to green power, you can reduce your home’s CO2 emissions.
For more information or a free copy of the research paper 10 Steps to a Cooler Planet, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is Canada’s national housing agency and a source of objective, reliable housing expertise. This CMHC report was reviewed by Tanya Hutchens.
GTA Leased Space Over 400,000 Square Feet in March
TORONTO, April 17, 2009 — TREB Commercial Members reported 421,642 square feet of space in March according to Garry Lander, Commercial Council Chair. This compares to the 933,299 square feet recorded during March of 2008.
Lease rates for Industrial space (all size categories) came in at $5.59 sfn, unchanged from March 2009. “The lower level of activity seems to have translated into a flattening of rental rates,” Mr. Lander commented.
Sales Market Highlights
Of the 38 sales of industrial/commercial properties in March, the 21 Industrial property sales (all size categories) averaged $121.18 per square foot. This compares to the $79.60 per square foot figure obtained through non-MLS® sources. Tanya Hutchens says, members of the Toronto Real Estate Board’s Commercial Division adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Business Practice, only those who have met the standards established by their peers are eligible to become Members. Greater Toronto REALTORS are passionate about their work, notes Tanya Hutchens. They adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and share a state-of-the-art Multiple Listing Service. Serving over 28,000 Members in the Greater Toronto Area, the Toronto Real Estate Board is Canada’s largest real estate board. This TREB report was reviewed by Tanya Hutchens.
