Lifestyle, location and commuting

Charging Ev's - the options for charging in public places
Commuting

Charging EVs without a private parking space or on the move - the best options

Many of us live in cities where homes like apartments built from subdivided older houses don't have a private parking spaces - as EVs become the preferred option for commuters, what are the solutions for charging an EV in public places or on the move. Any of us who've owned gas powered vehicles over the years know…

Moving to the Countryside - How to make it Work
Lifestyle, location and commuting

Moving to the countryside? Here's how that can work...

The impact of 2020 and working from home has a lot of people considering moving away from urban centers to the countryside. How do we stave off an environmental disaster of losing greenspace to housing. With so many of us being forced to work from home, this has brought many changes to our economy, our priorities…

Carbon Offset Schemes - Whale Poop leads Nature's Own Way
Lifestyle and environment

Save the whale's (poop) - Save the planet !! (And $2m per whale)

Carbon sequestration, carbon reduction & carbon offset are hot topics in the global fight against climate change & while saving rain forests & planting trees is popular, the IMF say saving the Whales may be the best plan yet. What do whales listen to? 'Pod' casts... Talking of which, I listened to a fascinating…

An Off-Grid Self-Sustaining Eco-Community Housing Development
Lifestyle and environment

How to Start an Eco-Community

A definitive guide to developing a resilient, sustainable, and equitable eco-community, covering everything from finding land and people to establishing governance and financing models. How to build an off-grid eco-community: Eco-community building, where groups of like-minded people come together on a plot of land…

Lifestyle and environment

What Are the Biggest Energy Consumers in a Home? Top Tips For How to Reduce Utility Bills

Learn which appliances use the most energy, and strategies to reduce consumption and lower energy bills without too much sacrifice and effort. Homes have a lot of appliances and electronics that even when not in use can cost you money, and there are easy ways to save and lower your bills. For most people, reducing…

Passive solar design meets practical sustainability in rural ontario home
Lifestyle, location and commuting

A sustainable executive home near Toronto GTA built for comfort, efficiency, and future resilience

Passive heating and off-grid ready construction can offer a feeling of security in a future of uncertain climate-related weather challenges. When the current owners of this rural property in Erin, Ontario began looking for an executive-style home within reach of the Greater Toronto Area, they quickly realized there…

EVs can power your house in a power outage with V2H or V2G technology
Commuting

Using an electric car as a home battery: how to power your home with your EV

Home batteries for power storage from solar PV to during outages or to power a home during the nighttime makes homes more resilient, but are very expensive. The electric car in your laneway could potentially power your house as a backup, find out how. As we transition away from fossil fuels towards cleaner energy…

Sustainable Habits at Home Make a Difference
Lifestyle and environment

Simple and affordable ways to live more sustainably every day

Firmly convinced that we can make better choices every day (and that this would actually make a difference), here's an Ecohome checklist of easy ways to learn sustainable habits at home. Let's be inspired, every day According to a recent survey sponsored by Google of more than 3,000 Americans by using a type of AI…

How to Handle a Power Outage in Cold Weather
Lifestyle and environment

How to handle a power outage in cold weather

As North America accelerates the electrification of homes and reduces our reliance on fossil fuels like oil and gas for heating and cooking, this also increases the potential for power outages in cold weather to disrupt our daily lives. Why be prepared for power outages in cold weather? From celebrating holidays to…

Wash Clothes in cold water? Only if Washing Better! - © Robert J. Pierson
Lifestyle and environment

Save money by washing clothes in cold water - especially as it can wash better!

It's tempting to run your washing machine on cold water to save some dollars, but many people will tell you that it's not effective for washing clothes properly or for removing stubborn stains - and that's not quite true. So, a little background story, I always called my mom "Laurence, the guardian angel of…

How to reduce gas, electricity, and grocery bills easily this winter
Lifestyle and environment

How to reduce energy bills this winter to help reduce the cost of living...

Faced with the rise in the cost of living that is hitting Canada and North America, reducing energy use and bills has become a necessity. To stay positive, the Ecohome team explores ways to save money while living better and greener. The current economic situation is pushing many Canadians and North Americans to…