Originally Posted by
Mobile 155
Not really, I am trying to show that what one person believes is the best way to cut back on their carbon footprint can just as easily be accomplished by another without adopting that solution at all. Someone might be able to save more in energy costs by modifying their home than another can by taking the bus. Energy costs would be a good metric. Is the gas and electric for heating and cooling in the ball park on a monthly basis based on the link I posted?
It's absolutely true that there are multiple ways to lower your footprint wherever you live. I'm not sure what the utility costs will tell you, because prices vary by jurisdiction and are often artificial, for example not including stranded utlity debt and so on, and of course you'd have to compare cities of similar climates, similar age housing stock, similar building codes etc. In general a smaller house will be cheaper to heat than a large one and an apartment still cheaper to heat. The urban island heat effect will lower winter heating costs but might raise summer air conditioning costs. Some downtown Toronto towers mitigate that using deep lake water cooling so they aren't pumping hot air out, but I don't know if that will at some point harm Lake Ontario.