The Leung Family
The biggest ‘aha’ moment for the Leungs was discovering the root cause of their energy loss is not their home’s heating system, but their windows. After a Capture Energy advisor met with the family and evaluated their home, the Leungs were told to focus on fixing their windows, heating systems and insulation, in that order.
“If they hadn’t come by, we would have thought about doing other things first,” says John Leung, explaining that they had initially planned to focus on their heating system. “But then they pointed out to us that windows are what keeps your heating and cooling inside.” In other words, it doesn’t matter how good your heating system is if all the hot air escapes through gaps and leakage in the windows.
The Leungs qualified for a rebate for new windows, combining a $5,000 grant from the federal government, which you can receive after completing an energy assessment, and a $2,000 rebate from BC Hydro.
With this support, they were able to afford triple-pane windows, which are much more energy efficient than single or double-pane ones. Because of a supply backlog, the new windows won’t arrive until the spring, but in the meantime, the Leungs have installed insulation film and have replaced worn-out weatherstripping to keep in the heat and keep out the cold.