Home Energy Improvement Tips

The typical household in the U.S. spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills to keep the temperature in the home comfortable by heating or cooling it.  An astute home owner should make sure that the home is as energy efficient as could be to get the maximum comfort of the home and the lowest energy costs to maintain the comfort level of the home.  There are two steps to the process of making your home more energy efficient:  First, assess your home; second, take actions to correct the problems.  Here are some recommended guides to help you make your home more energy efficient.

Assess Your Home.  Evaluate your home yourself or work with a professional to do a comprehensive home assessment.  Also, you can verify if your home is having any of these problems.

• High energy bills.  Higher utility bills in summer and winter can be traced to air leaks in the home, poor quality windows, inefficient or improperly installed heating and cooling equipment, or poorly sealed and installed air ducts.

• Musty odors.  Water leaks or high humidity in the home can lead to mold and mildew.  This can caused wood rot, structural damage, peeling paint, and a variety of health problems.  High humidity in home with central air conditioners can be traced to improperly sized or improperly installed air conditioners.

• Damp basement.  A damp basement is commonly caused by moisture seeping through the foundation.  As moisture evaporates, it increases indoor humidity and can promote mold growth; this is a health hazard.

• Drafty rooms.  Cold air coming into or going out of your home, especially through leaks hidden in the attic and basement can cause rooms to feel drafty and uncomfortable. 

• Dust.  Increased dust in the home could be a sign that it is time to change air filter or that your air ductwork is not well sealed.

• Moisture on windows.  Poor quality windows or high indoor moisture levels from air leaks can result in condensation, frost, or pools of water on windows and window sills.

• Iced dams.  Warm air inside your home leaks into the attic and warm the underside of the roof causing snow and ice to melt and refreeze as it runs off your roof forming icicles and ice dams. 

• Peeling paint.  Peeling paint or cracking paint on the home’s exterior may be sign of humidity problem or improper paint application.

• Hot or cold room.  Significant differences in room temperature from one room to another could be caused by many problems including inadequate insulation, air leakage, poor air duct performance, and improperly installed heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system.

• Dry air.  Dry indoor air in winter may be caused by air leaks in your home allowing warm humid air to escape and draw in drier, colder air.

Implementation:

• Correct air leaks problem and adding insulation.  Hire a professional home energy auditor.  They often use equipment such as blower doors which measure the extent of air leaks in the building parameter, and sometimes they use infrared cameras which reveal hard to detect areas of air infiltration and inadequate insulation problems in the home.  Find contractors that offer home air sealing service in your area.  Seal air leaks with caulking, spray foam, or weather stripping around windows, doors, chimneys, recess lighting fixtures, attics, basements, and crawlspaces.  Insulation helps your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  There are several common types of insulation-fiberglass (batted and blown forms), cellulose, rigid foam board, and spray foam.  To get the biggest savings, the easiest place to add insulation is usually the attic.  The recommended insulation level for most attics is R-38 (about 12-15 inches depending on the insulation type).  The insulation performance is measured by R value (the insulation ability to resist heat flow).  Higher R value means more insulating power.  Properly installed insulation in walls, floors and attics will even out the temperatures in your house, making your house quieter, more comfortable living environment, and easier to heat and cool.

If you are concerned about sealing your home too tightly, consult with a contractor such as Home Energy Rater who can use specific tools to measure your home’s actual air leakage.  If your home is too tightly insulated, a fresh air ventilation system may be recommended.  After any home sealing project, have a heating and cooling technician check to make sure that your combustion appliances (gas or oil furnace, water heater, and cloth dryer) are venting properly.

• Replacing windows.  Choose qualified models specific to your climate.

• Improving heating and cooling system.  If your furnace or air conditioning system is more than 10 years old, or not keeping your house comfortable, consider replacing it or have it evaluate by a professional HVAC contractor.  Before you replace the heating and cooling system, make sure that you have addressed the big air leaks in your house and the duct system.  Sometimes these are the real sources of problems rather than your HVAC equipment.  Studies show that half of all central air conditioners in the U.S. homes never perform up to their advertised capacity and efficiency due to incorrect installation.  Common cooling equipment installation problems are incorrect sizing, insufficient refrigerant charge and air flow, and poorly sealed and improperly balanced air duct systems. 

Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month especially during heavily use months (winter and summer).  If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it.  At a minimum change the filter every 3 months.  Your contractor can show you how to do this task.  A dirty filter will slow down the air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool; that waste energy.  A clean filter will prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system which may lead to expensive maintenance and early system failure.

Install a programmable thermostat and program it properly.  A programmable thermostat is an ideal tool for people who are away from home during a set period of time throughout the week.  Proper settings of programmable thermostat can save you about $180 a year in energy bills.

Remove leaves, dirt, and other debris from around the outside components of your heating and cooling system.

Hire a contractor to do annual pre-season check ups and tune up your HVAC equipment.  You might plan the check up around the time changes in fall or spring.

• Sealing ductwork.  Many homes have leaky duct work and poor air flow resulting in stuffy and uncomfortable rooms regardless of the thermostat setting.  Make sure air duct connections and seams are sealed with duct sealant (mastic), metal-backed (foil) type, or spray-on sealant and balancing the duct system to optimize air flow to all rooms.  Focus on sealing the air ducts that run through the attic, basement, crawlspaces, and unheated or cooled garage.  After sealing the ducts in those spaces, wrap the air ducts in insulation to keep them from getting hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

• Upgrading lighting and appliances.  Energy used for lighting and appliances (refrigerator, dishwasher, electronic equipment, light fixtures, hot water heating system, and compact fluorescent bulbs) can account for half of your home’s total utility bill.

What you can expect from your home improvements are a home with fewer drafts, temperature consistency across rooms, better ventilation and humidity control, and lower utility bills.