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Energy Conservation

Condo Energy Saving Tips

April 1, 2024

Even if you live in a condo with a relatively small footprint, you may still be using a significant amount of energy – which can add up over time. Fortunately, there are many little things that you can do which will help you to cut down on your energy consumption. These small condo energy-saving tweaks can add up over time and make a big difference in your energy bill.

Here are some helpful tips. They might not all be relevant to your condo, but there will be many that you can start implementing right away to cut back on energy use.

 Condo Energy Saving Tips

-Ensure that the furniture in your apartment is not blocking any of the vents.

-Try to avoid running your dishwasher or other appliances during peak hours, to save time and energy. Check the Ontario Energy Board to find out when the peak and off-peak hours are, as they change according to the season.

-Also, when you run the washing machine make sure that you do a full load, as this will be more efficient.

-Washing your laundry on the “cold” setting will save even more power.

-Watch out for energy “vampires” which are devices that use power when they are plugged in – even if you aren’t using them. A good strategy is to plug everything into a power bar so that you can switch it all off at once.

-LED lighting really makes a difference! Although they are more expensive upfront, an LED light bulb will last 8-15 times longer and will use 1/3 to 1/5 of the electricity that an old-fashioned incandescent bulb would use.

-When you go out on a hot day, keep your curtains closed to block the sun from heating your apartment – so you won’t have to use so much AC.

-Make sure that you clean your vents regularly, including the exhaust fan in the bathroom, as this will help to keep them running more efficiently.

-Filling your fridge with full water jugs will help to keep it colder and make it run more efficiently.

-Heating water also uses energy, so avoid taking excessively long showers and turn the tap off when you are shaving or brushing your teeth.

With a few clever tweaks, you can make sure that your energy use in your condo is as efficient as possible. You’ll be amazed at how the little changes add up!

Looking for more sustainable ways to conserve energy while travelling?

Stay with us in a DelSuite short-term rental in Toronto and choose green and eco-friendly options, high-efficiency units and decisions to reduce waste, water and energy.

Energy Conservation, Lifestyle talk

Ways to Be Environmentally Friendly in Your Furnished Condo

September 26, 2023
Environmentally Friendly, Condo, Toronto, DelSuites

You might think that any impact you have on the environment is pretty small in the grand scheme of things – so does it really make much of a difference if you try to adjust your habits?

However, if everyone made some small adjustments then a big difference could be made. So, how can you be more environmentally friendly in your furnished condo?

Here Are Some Ways To Be More Environmentally Friendly In Your Furnished Condos

  • Open the blinds in the morning. It will let the sunlight in which will help to heat your furnished apartment in Toronto.
  • Switch to an environmentally friendly cleaner. It will ensure that fewer harsh chemicals are released into the environment and into the air you breathe. You can find one at a natural grocery store or even some of the mainstream ones – just read the labels carefully.
  • If you wash dishes in the sink under running water, you’re wasting a lot of water. Instead, fill up one tub with soapy water (look for eco-friendly bio-degradable soap) and then one with plain water for rinsing.
  • If you use a dishwasher, remember that thanks to the modern technology of most dishwashers it is no longer necessary to pre-rinse the dishes before you put them in. This saves you from wasting water – because sometimes you use more water to pre-rinse than you would for a full wash cycle.
  • When washing your clothes, try to use cold water and only wash during non-peak hours, such as 6-8 a.m. or 8-10 p.m.
  • Only run a full load in the washing machine. You use the same amount of energy to power the washing machine whether you are washing a full load of clothes or a half load.
  • Use a drying rack rather than using a clothes dryer to save energy. If it is sunny outside, put the clothes on a clothesline – they will smell amazing if you let them dry in the fresh air.
  • Did you know that energy escapes from your electronic devices, such as microwaves, televisions, video game consoles, and coffee makers, even when they are off and you are not using them? Use a power strip to plug them in and then flip the switch to the off position when these appliances are not in use.
  • When it comes to food shopping, try to buy from local farmer’s markets as much as possible. It reduces the carbon footprint because the produce doesn’t have to travel as far. Plus, it supports the local farmers and benefits the community.
  • When you get around, try to walk or take public transit rather than drive if possible. Toronto has a great public transit system that will get you anywhere in the city.

These are just a few of the ways that you can be more environmentally friendly when you are living or staying short-term in your furnished condo.  In addition, here are 5 ways to go green. These are small changes that won’t make too much of a difference to your lifestyle but when they add up they can make a big difference to the environment.

Book With DelSuites

Are you looking for a downtown staycation, a furnished short-term rental for your family to stay with you or have a business contract that’s extending your visit to Toronto?

Be sure to follow these great environmentally friendly tips and book an upcoming trip in a furnished short-term rental in Toronto with DelSuites now.

Business Travel, Energy Conservation, Toronto Family Travel, Vacation Travel

Your Big Fat Green Vacation: Travel Sustainably with DelSuites

January 25, 2022
Travel sustainably photo by Scott Evans on Unsplash.

After a year of fires, floods, and hurricanes, how to travel sustainably in our networked world is a bigger question than ever.

But as travel restrictions lift and all those trips COVID put off become possible, the question is: how? Without spending cash on carbon offsets, how do we balance the travel we love—or have to make to keep business running—with doing what’s right for our climate?

At DelSuites, we’ve already taken care of the big things: situating our fully-furnished rentals in sustainably-designed, LEED-certified Tridel buildings which are pushing the limits on how eco-friendly a high-rise can be. And our fully paperless booking service also lets you book, bill, and plan your trip while keeping a few trees in the ground.

But if you want to max out your sustainability while you travel, here are a few easy ways you can make that Toronto trip a little greener—and have fun while you do it.

Ditch the plastic toiletries, and get some planet-friendly ones

Everyone always forgets the toothbrush—but it might not be a bad idea, this time. For no more than a few extra dollars, you can forget the toothbrush and pick up a biodegradable, planet-friendly bamboo brush for your stay.

Kensington Market health food store Essence of Life Organics has a whole selection of biodegradable, zero-waste kitchen, laundry, and bathroom products to sample for only a few dollars each—and they offer reliable next-day delivery. Schedule an order before you leave, and you’ll be happily picking up your zero-waste, plastic-free lemon-flavoured dental floss from the concierge on your way through your door.

If you’d like to give that bamboo toothbrush a longer shelf life—and use it for your next five trips, too!—Quebec-based OLA Bamboo also offers a case to take it home in.

Sustainabilify the souvenirs

It’s not a trip without a few treats for the people back home. But it’s easy to make those treats more sustainable, eco-friendly, and longer-lasting.

“Eco-conscious general store” Logan & Finley offers a wide selection of sustainable treats for friends and family back home, from clothes to sustainably sourced specialty chocolate and decadent bath soaks.

In the west end, the laid-back Roncesvalles neighbourhood’s Ecotique puts an emphasis on looking chic, with green accessories, Toronto-themed tea towels, and elegant lounging robes made from upcycled saris. They’re gifts so elegant the environmental impact is just gravy.

Clean up your caffeine

When we’re on the road, all those morning coffees add up. But there are a few cafés that’ll let you get your fix greener while you’re on the go in Toronto.

Low-waste café Poured Coffee is taking the indie coffeeshop entirely package-free: their beans are dropped off by roaster La Marzocco in reusable food-safe bins, their milk in glass bottles, and every cup served goes into a reusable mug or thermos—yours or theirs. Complete with locally sourced baked goods and neighbourhood art, it’s a low-waste haven for east end travelers.

On the west side of the city, regional coffee roaster Reunion Island Coffee Roasters is a certified B-corp focusing on sustainable coffee “from seed to cup”. Powered by renewable energy provider Bullfrog Power, they’ve made every part of their supply chain more sustainable, from compostable wood-pulp coffee bags to fair-trade beans. And if you have to get a few bags delivered, don’t worry; the packaging’s biodegradable too. Drink up!

Send it with pedal power

Have an important package to get across town by end of day? Need a prescription refilled, stat?

Send It Courier is one of Toronto’s all-cargo bicycle courier companies—this one worker-owned and operated, with an A-list client portfolio and reasonable rates (including the highly descriptive “Panic”).

Instead of a cab or a rideshare, hand your parcels—heavy or light!—off to one of those professional cyclists, and do business with no carbon footprint at all.

Love your new green bin

The city of Toronto’s Green Bin program is a citywide way to keep your organics out of landfill. And because DelSuites furnished rentals are residential spaces, your stay lets you access the program.

The rules for Green Bin use may look complicated at first glance, but they’re worth spending five minutes to get to know. The program takes in food waste, coffee and tea grounds, paper plates, tissues, and paper towels—and much, much more.

Instead of piling up garbage, your waste will be turned into compost for the city’s parks and gardens, and biogas to power renewable natural gas programs—a win-win for everyone.

Our smallest gestures count when we travel sustainably

No, your travel toothbrush isn’t going to save the world. But the small choices we make add up, and a few better habits can be enough to make a much-needed trip more sustainable in the long run.

For more sustainable travel planning, contact us at DelSuites by phone at (647) 370-3504 or email info@delsuites.com. We’ll help you make your next visit to Toronto green, clean, and easy.

Corporate Housing, Customer Service Experience, Energy Conservation

DelSuites Gives Travellers the Tridel Advantage

January 11, 2022

At DelSuites, we believe travel and hospitality aren’t complete without community: being part of something bigger than ourselves.

Which is part of why we’re part of something bigger, too: a group of companies whose know-how stretches from pouring foundations to developing green technologies and plumping your pillows before you arrive.

As part of the Tridel Group, DelSuites offers Toronto furnished apartments exclusively in Tridel-constructed buildings—showcasing one of Canada’s most innovative, forward-thinking, and celebrated developers. And it’s not just for the name brand: It’s because staying with DelSuites means having the whole Tridel team treating you like part of our community.

Here are three reasons why DelSuites furnished rental units are located exclusively in Tridel-constructed buildings—and what it means to stay in a Tridel suite.

Built on generations of experience

DelSuites is one of the most established short-term housing providers in Canada, but we’re part of a much larger—and older—family.

Tridel built its first houses in 1934, using everything founder Jack DelZotto knew about stonemasonry and bricklaying. Over the next three generations, the DelZottos built their family business into one of Canada’s biggest and most celebrated condominium developers—one that’s still family-owned and going strong 85 years later. And since that first house, Tridel has developed affiliate companies that have reached the top of their game in property management, rentals, realty brokerage, seniors’ housing, and developing the future of how we live.

It’s that long view on what makes a building home—every single aspect of how we live in condominiums—that’s made Tridel such a success. It’s a unique understanding of condominium as real community, transformed into in-house expertise through affiliated companies dedicated to supporting each other. With that powerhouse team managing every aspect of Tridel buildings, it’s clear why for almost a century, the Tridel name has meant reliability, excellence, and unmatched expertise.

It also means that DelSuites opens our doors to you with the support of every Tridel Group member at our backs. When you stay with DelSuites, a Guest Services call is your portal to everything from smooth, professional property management, 24-hour assistance, intimate knowledge of our neighbourhoods, and an exquisite, inside-out understanding of how our units and buildings work.

Being part of the Tridel alliance lets you have confidence in a stress-free, seamless stay—with hundreds of team members who’ve got your back.

Stay in Toronto’s most innovative suites

No company lasts over 85 years without changing it up a little—or a lot. That’s why a stay with DelSuites also gives you access to one of Tridel’s signature advantages: pushing the limits of what a condominium suite—or community—can be, in real-time.

DelSuites units are located in some of Tridel’s newest, most cutting-edge condominium communities. That’s more than a modern short-term rental; it’s a chance to spend your trip living on the cutting edge of emerging ways to live in our homes.

Sustainable heating and cooling systems pioneered at the uniquely eco-friendly Element let you keep the temperature where you like it without guilt. At Ten York, tech lovers can use built-in smart home technology for hands-free entry, a video buzzer, digital keyfobs, and unbeatably fast wireless internet.

Staying with DelSuites also gets you access to cutting-edge building amenities and extras. Our buildings feature amenities designed in response to what residents wanted and asked for: workout rooms, social spaces, and swimming pools.

Tridel buildings haven’t stopped pushing to discover what’s next. As a co-founder of Tower Labs at Toronto’s prestigious MaRS Discovery District, Tridel is breaking ground on technologies to make high-rise living greener, cleaner, and smarter. And as new innovations come online in Tridel’s current projects, DelSuites will be there to offer a taste of what’s next.

Eco-friendly travel—from the ground up

The future is green living—and staying with DelSuites means the future’s already here.

Tridel leads across Canada in building sustainable, eco-friendly condominiums—with the most LEED-certified buildings in the country and a Corporate Housing Providers Association Best Green Progress Award recognizing our commitment to living green.

With cutting-edge technology being rolled out with every project, you can be confident your DelSuites stay is green from the ground up—and you’re meeting your personal or company goals to do your part for our climate.

On paper, that means typical Tridel buildings use 34% less electricity, 57% less natural gas and 43% less potable water than your average high-rise. What that means for you?

When you walk through the door of your suite, you’ll breathe cleaner air, not feeling too warm or too cold, and using less water and power as you enjoy your normal day. And with a fully stocked kitchen, ensuite laundry facilities, and on-site recycling, you can pack lighter, wash more, and throw out less.

Tridel buildings are also carefully planned to offer green space, eco-friendly transit, and be a real part of a sustainable neighbourhood. At each of our locations, you’ll find Toronto’s famous parks and ravines at your door—or bikes, transit, and walkable, vibrant city life ready for the taking.

Built on an 85-year promise

DelSuites is committed to old-fashioned hospitality—with a modern, convenient twist. And as part of the Tridel Group, we know our welcome is backed up by a history of proven quality and a fierce appetite for doing things the better way.

That’s why all our luxury furnished apartments call Tridel buildings home—and why we’re proud to be part of the Tridel community.

Energy Conservation, Lifestyle talk, Uncategorized

Small Things You Can Do To Be More Green Everyday

July 5, 2019

Little things really do add up to make a big difference.

There are many small changes you could be making to your daily routine that won’t cause you too much extra trouble, but will have a positive impact on the environment.

Here are a few little ways you can save the world and be more green everyday:

– If it’s warm enough, hang your clothes outside to dry naturally on a clothesline rather than using the dryer. (They will smell fresher too!)
– Always recycle your glass bottles, aluminum cans, paper and other recyclable materials.
– Have at least one day per week when you eat vegetarian or vegan. (Meat and dairy production uses a lot of resources.) Use it as a chance to check out one of Toronto’s great vegetarian restaurants!
– If there’s an option to switch to a paperless version, do so. For example, switch to using a notebook app on your phone rather than making notes on paper.
– Use a refillable water bottle and fill it from the tap, rather than buying bottled water all the time.
– Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. Believe it or not, it can save five gallons of water per day.
– Whenever possible, buy second hand. It will help you save money and give the item a second life. (There are a TON of great second hand shops in Toronto.)
– Try to drive as little as possible and use alternatives such as biking, walking and public transport instead. (Plus, if you choose to bike or walk you’ll be getting exercise during your commute!)
– Plan your meals for the week in advance, so you end up using all the food you purchased and wasting less.
– If you do find yourself throwing away wasted food often, make a note of it and adjust your buying habits accordingly.
– Get your own coffee thermos to bring to your favourite coffee shop, instead of using a disposable cup every time. (Many cafes – will even give you a discount if you do this!)
– Stash a few re-useable canvas bags in your backpack or car, so that when you go to the supermarket you won’t have to use plastic bags.
– When you are shopping, look for items that have as little packaging as possible. For example, look for fruits and vegetables that are sold loose rather than wrapped in plastic.
– If you order takeaway and are eating it at home – there’s no need for all the napkins and plastic forks. Make sure to ask the restaurant to not include them with your order.
– Make your own non-toxic cleaning products when cleaning your home rather than using bleach.

How can you be more green in your day to day life?

These are just a few of the many little shifts you can make to your daily habits in order to be more green. It’s not as difficult as you might think. Each little change and healthy habit is small and once you get used to it, you might barely think about it.

However, every little bit counts and each change leads to more awareness. No effort is too small, so implement just one of these new habits today to be more green!

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