Environmental conservation and awareness has grown significantly over the past decade. We are now very much far removed from pigeon holing activists as more and more home owners become concerned with the carbon footprint they leave on the environment.

As a result, many home owners across Ontario have begun to make a conscious effort to make their homes more energy efficient by using less water and consuming less electricity. And, the good news is that the Government of Ontario in collaboration with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) is offering incentives to home owners through the saveONenergy program.

What is the saveONenergy program?

The saveONenergy program was designed to help homeowner better conserve energy. It provides them with a number of incentives and participation options to help them better manage energy consumption in their home. In most cases, the program is offered through your cities local utility company; however it is funded through the OPA.

What programs are available?

The following are some of the incentive programs that are available to homeowners:

• Fridge and freezer pickup: Have your old fridges and freezers pick up for free of charge.
• Heating and cooling incentive: Replace your old and inefficient heating and cooling system and get up to $650 in incentives from the saveONenergy program.
• Peak saver: Install peak saver and allow your central air to automatically adjust during times when electricity is in high demand during peak hours.
• Eco energy retrofit: The program is geared toward helping residents save money on home renovations that are more energy efficient.

How do homeowners benefit from participating in the program?

There are a number of benefits that home owners will experience by participating in the program. They include:

• A more energy efficient home
• An increase in the overall value of their home
• Home owners will pay less for renovations and replacements that they will have to make anyway
• A reduction in their monthly energy bills
• A reduced impact on the environment
• An updated and renovated home

To ensure you have the right home insurance coverage, compare insurance quotes online with InsuranceHunter.ca, and connect with one of our brokers to discuss your insurance needs and what plans work best for you.

Insurance Hunter is an online insurance brokerage who provides Ontario residents with free access to auto, home and travel insurance quotes from Ontario’s leading insurance companies 24/7.

Making snowy and icy sidewalks and front walkways safe for the public should always be a priority. This is important for two reasons:

1. preventing anyone from injuring themselves in a fall
2. protecting yourself from a fine, or worse, a lawsuit

Municipalities have varying rules and regulations for the clearing of snow and ice, but homeowners should also be aware that they could be liable should an injury occur on or in front of their property. A number of insurance claims each year involve injuries resulting from falls on ice and snow. And while an insurance policy is there to protect you from such hardship, a few simple steps can prevent action being taken:  

• Don’t wait to shovel – Start removing the snow soon after it’s fallen, even if it means having to shovel twice – two lighter loads will be easier on your back and arms than tackling it all at once.
• Salt, salt, salt – It’s cheap and can prevent hard-to-move ice from forming. If you have pets who don’t like the salt on their feet, sand works well, too.
• Invest in the right tools – Brooms for light snow and metal ice breakers for the harder accumulations can both come in handy over the winter.

Remember that everyone will be shopping for snow and ice removal equipment after the first big blast of winter. Get to the store early this year to ensure you’re not left moving snow with your kids’ novelty shovels.

To ensure you have the right home insurance coverage, compare insurance quotes online with InsuranceHunter.ca, and connect with one of our brokers to discuss your insurance needs and what plans work best for you.

Insurance Hunter is an online insurance brokerage who provides Ontario residents with free access to auto, home and travel insurance quotes from Ontario’s leading insurance companies 24/7.

The lengths people go to make sure they’re immediately alerted when they receive a text, a tweet or a call are often shocking – but not as shocking as how few people think to make sure their smoke and CO detectors are able to alert them just as effectively.

With winter fast approaching, now’s the time to pay attention to your home’s safety detectors. Devices such as fireplaces and gas heaters, can create carbon monoxide gas or cause a full-on house fire, and there’s just as good a chance that it could happen when you’re asleep. Your detectors will alert you to colourless and odourless dangers.

Here are three things you can do to make sure you’re immediately alerted and prepared in case of a dangerous situation:

1. Install multiple alarms: Place alarms in key places like bedrooms, kitchens and near fireplaces. And ensure there’s at least one of each per level to guarantee everyone hears it.
2. Do regular checkups: Replace the batteries twice a year, and test your detectors at least once a month. Detectors older than ten years old should be replaced.
3. Prepare your family: Make sure you have a meeting spot you all know, and an understanding of who’s responsible for what (ie: pets, important documents).

Many years ago, the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall concluded that November – January is the high point of the year for fires and related fatalities. And with the death rate per 100 reported fires twice as high in homes without a working smoke alarm, now’s the time to make sure yours are up to snuff.

Insurance Hunter is an online insurance brokerage who provides Ontario residents with free access to auto, home and travel insurance quotes from Ontario’s leading insurance companies 24/7.
 

According to Canadian Christmas legends, the Christmas tree was first introduced to Canada in 1781 – 86 years before Canada was even a country.

This first tree was said to be a Balsam Fir, cut from the dense forest in the region that’s now the city of Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. It was adorned with white candles and maintained daily and nightly by everyone who came through the square where it was displayed.

Today, Canadians generally light their trees with more practical LED bulbs, but just because we’re no longer using lit candles as tree ornaments, don’t think the risk of fire isn’t there. A big step you can take is to keep your tree watered. Not only does it create a fragrant indoor winter wonderland atmosphere, but a wet tree is a safer tree.

Here are some other safety tips to help keep your home festive and safe:

• When buying your tree, stand it upright and bang it lightly against the floor a few times to see how many needles fall out; you’re looking for one where as few fall as possible. It means the tree is well-hydrated, which will make it last longer, look better and be safer.
• When setting up your tree, don’t overload electrical outlets with too much power running through them. Invest in extension cords so you can use multiple outlets.
• When lighting your tree, under no circumstances should you leave a lit tree unattended. If you’re out for the evening, unplug the lights – this is especially important if you have pets.
• When staging your tree, never have actual lit candles around your Christmas tree.

Enjoy your Christmas tree this holiday season, but take the necessary steps to ensure it’s safe, and that your family and home are protected. From all of us at InsuranceHunter.ca, have a happy holiday season.

Insurance Hunter is an online insurance brokerage who provides Ontario residents with free access to auto, home and travel insurance quotes from Ontario’s leading insurance companies 24/7.

“The winters of my childhood were long, long seasons. We lived in three places – the school, the church, and the skating rink – but our real life was on the skating rink.”

This Roch Carrier quote is memorialized on the Canadian $5 bill, and experienced every winter in backyards across the country. Not only are backyard skating rinks great for exercise and recreation, they’re also a fabulous way to meet your neighbours. If you’re thinking about it this year, here are a few tips to help keep your rink safe for your skaters and your property:

• Build the rink in an area that will drain away from your house when it thaws in the spring.
• Remember to turn off the outside water flow after flooding your rink to prevent pipe freezing.
• Light your rink properly and make sure extension cords are out of the way and not tangled up in shovels.
• Check the surface regularly for ridges and holes.
• Always have at least two people present. If one of them is a kid, makes sure the other’s an adult.
• Helmets aren’t lame. They save lives. Lame is unnecessary brain damage.

Other things you might consider to help turn your backyard rink into a neighbourhood arena are a makeshift scoreboard for weekend shinny, a few nets, and maybe a season’s worth of pucks. All that can be sourced second hand. And if you’re looking to source insurance for your home, you can compare quotes on InsuranceHunter.ca and connect with one of our insurance brokers to discuss your insurance needs.

By building these tips into your ice rink preparations, you and your skaters will glide through the winter chill with the warmest memories.

Insurance Hunter is an online insurance brokerage who provides Ontario residents with free access to auto, home and travel insurance quotes from Ontario’s leading insurance companies 24/7.  

‘Tis the season to be jolly. ‘Tis also the time to be very, very busy. There’s baking, decorating, shopping, party hopping and, of course, party hosting. If that last one is big on your list, don’t forget to add holiday precautions to your "things-to-do" so this year’s holidays are safe and sound for you and your loved ones.

It’s easy to lose sight of some of the dangers that can crop up during the holiday season. Here are some important reminders of things that can go wrong and suggestions to prevent them from happening:

• Oh, Christmas Tree: Remember, a wet tree is a safe tree. Water your tree regularly throughout the holiday season and under no circumstances should you leave a lit tree unattended.
• Be the Host with the Most: Keep an eye on your guests’ alcohol intake. If you feel someone has had too much to drink, don’t let them get behind the wheel of a car. Take their keys away, offer them a spare bedroom, find a designated driver, or call them a cab.
• Be a Good Neighbour: Keep your sidewalk and walkway free of ice and snow. The last thing you want is to have a guest – or neighbour – fall and injure themselves due to your negligence.

With so much going on, it’s easy for little things to slip. And without proper insurance, those little things could turn into big problems down the road. Visit InsuranceHunter.ca to find the right home insurance for you this season, You can compare home insurance quotes and connect with one of our brokers to discuss your insurance needs.

Insurance Hunter is an online insurance brokerage who provides Ontario residents with free access to auto, home and travel insurance quotes from Ontario’s leading insurance companies 24/7.
 

You’ve been looking forward to this vacation for weeks and it’s finally here. For a truly stress-free holiday, make sure your home is properly protected while you’re gone.

In the last minute hustle and bustle, many Canadians Ontario residentsans fail to properly prepare their home for a weektime alone, alone, making them attractive targets for break-ins. Planning ahead is essential to ensure that you don’t returndon’t return home to unplanned surprises. The key is to take a few simple steps to make it look like you never left:

• Keep your travels to yourself: Posting holiday plans or live updates on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter may seem harmless, but it could alert would-be thieves to an empty house.
• Get a house sitter: Consider Havinge someone stay there at your home or have a trusted neighbour check on your house daily. Give this person a key – don’t hide it.
• Set timers: Have lights go on and off intermittently to give the appearance that someone’s home.
• Put a hold on mail delivery: Piled up mail or newspapers are an obvious giveaway that there’s no one home. If you don’t want to pay the Canada Post fee, have your neighbours grab the mail.
• Have your yard maintained: Arrange to have your lawn mowed and your grass watered; or your snow shovelled and your sidewalk salted. Remember, you’re still liable if someone slips on your sidewalk, even if you’re not there.

With these tips in mind, you can concentrate on enjoying your travel escape, and come back to your home just as you left it. More information is available from your Insurance Hunter insurance broker.

Insurance Hunter is an online insurance brokerage who provides Ontario residents with free access to auto, home and travel insurance quotes from Ontario’s leading insurance companies 24/7.
 

If you’ve had a fireplace before, you know there’s nothing quite like curling up under a warm blanket next to a roaring fire on a cold evening. What you might not know is that fire kills over 400 people a year nationwide, according to Fire Prevention Canada; with residential fires causing 73% of those deaths. With winter around the corner, it’s important to be aware of fire prevention, and what your home insurance policy offers.

To ensure that you enjoy your fireplace right through until the spring, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. To avoid fire and smoke damage, make sure that the damper opens and closes properly. If your chimney hasn’t been cleaned in a while, call a chimney sweeper.
2. Clear the area next to your fireplace of all flammable items including newspapers, carpets and fabrics. Even a small ember can quickly turn into a big problem.
3. Install smoke detectors throughout your home.
4. Invest in a few tending tools to rotate logs, maintain oxygen flow and clean up ashes – three small steps that go a long way in fire prevention.
5. Know your insurer’s guidelines and coverage so there are no surprises if you do need to file a claim for damage. For example, many companies only cover fire damage if fireplaces are installed professionally. All this information will be in your home insurance policy.

These simple tips will ensure that your fireplace only leaves your family with pleasant memories of winter 2012. Compare home insurance quotes on InsuranceHunter.ca and connect with one of our insurance brokers to discuss your insurance needs.

Insurance Hunter is an online insurance brokerage who provides Ontario residents with free access to auto, home and travel insurance quotes from Ontario’s leading insurance companies 24/7.
 

Shopping for a new home can be fun and exciting, but with all the associated expenses, it can be stressful as well. One item that homebuyers rarely consider is the cost of home insurance.

Things like having to replace floors or kitchen cabinets may sway a homebuyer’s decision, but the cost of insuring the home is rarely considered. What many homebuyers don’t realize is that by considering a couple of additional factors in their buying decision, they can easily save a few hundred dollars on their home insurance costs every year.

Here are a few key factors to consider before purchasing:

• Location – If you live in a neighbourhood with a low crime rate you’ll pay a lower premium.
• Proximity to fire protection – The closer you live to a fire hydrant or fire station, the lower your premiums will be.
• Heating – You’ll likely burn more money on your home insurance premium if you’re using oil or own a wood stove to heat your house.
• Wiring – Do you have breakers or fuses? Are the wires themselves old? Is there low electricity flow coming into your house? All will affect your insurance costs and eligibility for home insurance; and your insurer might even require you to upgrade.
• Roof – If it’s been more than 20 years since your roof was last re-shingled, you might not qualify for home insurance until it’s done again.
• Other factors like monitored security and fire alarm systems can lower your premiums, while a swimming pool can increase them.

Before you make the final decision on the purchase of a new home, compare home insurance quotes on Insurance Hunter and connect with one of our insurance brokers to discuss your insurance needs.

Insurance Hunter is an online insurance brokerage who provides Ontario residents with free access to auto, home and travel insurance quotes from Ontario’s leading insurance companies 24/7.
 

Homes are defined by what’s in them, so the best way to protect your home is to protect what you have in it – and that starts with making a home inventory. It protects you in the event of theft or major damage to your home’s contents, and dramatically helps in filing insurance claims.

Trying to remember all of the items in your home can add to an already stressful event. Having an inventory of items in your home is one of the best ways to prepare yourself. Besides helping to ensure you choose the right amount of insurance, it will help you settle your insurance claim faster.

And it’s not like you have to take the time to write down everything in your home. You can take photos and keep them in a scrap book. Or you can take video of every room and keep it on a secure hard drive. Many insurance broker or insurers also prepare content calculators that can act as helpful starting points.

Whether you conduct a video or written inventory of your home, don’t forget to keep your inventory in a safety deposit box or other safe place away from home. That way you’ll be sure to have something to give your insurance representative if your home is damaged. You should also keep your legal documents in a safe place, such as birth certificates, passports, financial info and insurance policies.

Compare home insurance quotes on InsuranceHunter.ca and connect with one of our insurance brokers to discuss your insurance needs.

Insurance Hunter is an online insurance brokerage who provides Ontario residents with free access to auto, home and travel insurance quotes from Ontario’s leading insurance companies 24/7.