Rules for businesses entering into contracts at a consumer’s home

What businesses that market products and services door-to-door or in a consumer’s home need to know about the Consumer Protection Act, what’s changing on March 1, 2018, and how it applies to their business.

Changes to home service contracts

As of March 1, 2018, certain products and services can no longer be offered or sold at a consumer’s home unless the consumer initiated the transaction (for example, the consumer called or emailed your business and asked you to come to their home). There are some exceptions if you already have a contract in place with the consumer.

The restricted products and services are:

• furnaces
• air conditioners
• air cleaners
• air purifiers
• water heaters
• water treatment devices
• water purifiers
• water filters
• water softeners
• duct cleaning services
• any good or service that performs one or more of the functions listed above (for example, an HVAC system)

New 10-day cooling-off period

As of March 1, 2018, if the consumer invites you to their home and signs a contract for a restricted product or service, the consumer will have a 10-day cooling-off period during which they can cancel the contract without reason or penalty.

The cooling-off period begins on the date the consumer receives a written copy of the agreement.

for more information click on the following link.

Sample form:

The holiday season can be full of cheer, but it can also be expensive. Heating costs at this time can eat up a large portion of your energy bill. Follow these winter hacks from Hydro One so you can keep heating costs down:

1.  Keep the cold out by sealing your windows with plastic sheeting. It'll prevent wind from seeping in through spaces between the window and the wall.
2. Use a slow cooker instead of the oven. A slow cooker uses 65 per cent less energy in seven hours than an electric oven uses in just one hour.
3. Make the house festive while saving energy by using LED lights. Not only do they use 80 per cent less energy than incandescent lights, they last longer too. Unplug your holiday lights before you leave the house to avoid draining unnecessary energy.
4. Clear the space around your radiator to make sure that it allows heat to circulate efficiently. Don't block it with furniture or other household items.
5. When entertaining, turn the furnace down. Cooking and having extra people in your home will help maintain a comfortable temperature.
6. Lower the temperature in your home when you are sleeping or away.
7. Make sure your furnace is running smoothly by inspecting the filter. Hold a light bulb up behind the filter and if you can't see the bulb, it's time for a new one.
8. On sunny winter days, trap warm air inside by opening window coverings to let the rays warm your home. Once the sun goes down, close window coverings to keep the warmth in.
9. If air is coming in from under your doors, try making a draft stopper. All you need is some fabric, plastic bags or foam for stuffing and a couple of stitches.
10.  If you have a fireplace you never use, consider getting it sealed, since warm air is sucked out if the damper is open. If you do enjoy sitting by the fire, make sure you turn down your main thermostat. Fires can actually draw heat from the room up the chimney so your furnace has to work even harder.

Find more tips on saving energy at www.hydroone. com/forhome.

We've all heard someone mention that they have a touch of the flu. But was it the flu, or was it a really bad cold?

It can be difficult to tell them apart as symptoms can be very similar. While the common cold can make you feel really sick, the flu can lead to serious health problems like pneumonia.

Here's some information on how symptoms may present differently in a cold versus the flu.

• Fever: Rare in a cold, but quite common with the flu. It usually starts suddenly and can last up to three or four days.
• General aches and pains: You can experience these with a cold, but they are typically mild. With the flu, aches and pains are very common and often severe — they have been described as feeling like you've been run over by a truck.
• Feeling tired and weak: If you have a cold, you can sometimes feel tired and weak, but the feeling will often be quite mild. However, that feeling is very common with the flu, and this can last two to three weeks or even more.
• Fatigue. It is very unusual to experience extreme tiredness with a cold, so if you have this symptom it's a good sign that you may have the flu. It is quite common to feel extremely tired with the flu and this usually starts early.
• Sneezing. While sneezing happens often with a cold, you are likely to only sneeze sometimes when you have the flu.
• Chest discomfort and/or coughing. You can on occasion experience mild-to-moderate chest discomfort and/or coughing with a cold --but it can be severe with the flu.

If you think it's the flu, stay home and get plenty of rest. Call your doctor or nurse practitioner if you don't start to feel better after a few days, or if you feel worse.

Anyone who is in a high-risk group such as seniors, children under five, pregnant women and individuals with underlying health conditions such as asthma should contact their primary health care provider as soon as they experience any of the above flu symptoms.

Did you know installing a whole home humidifier like Aprilaire 600 could kill the virus in your home. Tiny water molecules attach themselves to floating cold or flu virus in the air and drop them to the floor. 

Find more information online at ontario.ca/flu.

Source : News Canada

• Always ensure the area surrounding the water heater is free of flammable & combustbale materials
• Ensure sufficient air supply for proper combustion & ventilation
• Inspect the area around the water heater on a regular basis for any sign of water leakage.
• Never wrap your water heater with an insulating blanket
• For your safety, if you smell gas, open windows immediately, don't touch electrical switches, extinguish any open flame and call your gas provider.