7. May 2008 by Kari Calder.

If you are familiar with my blog or know me, you know that I am very passionate about the environment and am always looking at ways to do my part.  I enjoy providing all of my Saskatoon real estate clients and everyone else information on being more environmentally friendly.  Most times, being environmentally friendly also means that you will save money in the long run as you often use less energy, water, etc.  With the recent increase in gasoline prices I thought it would be a perfect time to provide some tips on saving gasoline.

• A lot of people like to drive over 100km/h on the highway these days but the Canadian Automobile Association claims that driving 120 km/h burn approximately 20% more fuel than when you drive at 100km/h.  In turn driving 90km/h will save you an additional 10%, although I don’t recommend driving below the speed limit as it tends to upset some people.
• Cruise control is your friend on the highway.  If you have cruise control use it as much as possible as it will keep your speed constant and save fuel.
• If at all possible don’t run your AC in your car while driving.  It takes a lot of extra energy to run your AC and can eat up an additional 20% of your fuel consumption as a result.
• Ensure your tires on your car have proper air pressure.  Under inflated tires is a big cause of reduced fuel efficency.
• Remove unnecessary weight from your car.  I know that many people tend to leave heavy objects in their car even when they are not using them.  I don’t know how people I know that keep sand bags in their trunks year round for winter driving.  The extra weight will eat up your gas mileage.
• If you have overdrive on your automatic vehicle, be sure to use it at higher speeds.
• Avoid idling your car for long periods of time.  It takes less fuel to start your car than it does to leave your car idling for 10 seconds.  If you are in a drive thru that is taking a long time, shut off your engine or even if you are just running in somewhere for a quick second.  Do not turn off your car though while in traffic.
• Plan your trips and avoid areas where you know there will be delays in traffic.  A good example is if you know there is going to be construction on your regular route to and from work, go online and look at alternative routes.  They could possibly save you time and gasoline.

I am always interested in hearing more ways to help the environment and do your part.  If you have any tips be sure to contact me and I’ll post them on my blog.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.

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7. May 2008 by Kari Calder.

On Monday night, the city of Saskatoon council approved the city operating budget.  The new budget will result in a 5.44% increase to all Saskatoon real estate owners property tax bills.  This is lower than the projected 8% increase the city first proposed.  The reason for the slight reduction is partly due to the provincial government putting forward 1.5 million dollars to the city budget.  The city has stated one of the biggest reasons for the tax increase is to cover the costs for the city expanding.  The city of Saskatoon is currently developing several existing neighbourhoods such as Willowgrove as well will be developing several new ones.  Both the public and catholic school boards increased their annual taxes as well which adds to the total increase.  For a more in depth story about the Saskatoon property tax increase be sure to visit the Saskatoon Star Phoenix website. 

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.

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