Reduce Your Energy Bill By Weatherizing Your Home
Bust out those tool belts, butches. It’s time to talk about home weatherization. Woot! Yesterday I mentioned that you could lower your energy bill by making the switch to CFL bulbs. And today I’ve got a list of home repairs that could make your home more energy efficient. In fact, “most experts agree that caulking and weather stripping any gaps will pay for itself within one year in energy savings.”
Before you head off to the Homo Depot to get your supplies, check your home for air leaks:
You may already know where some air leakage occurs in your home, such as an under-the-door draft that makes you want to put on socks. But you’ll probably need to search to find the less obvious gaps. Look between foundation and walls, and between the chimney and siding. Also inspect around the fol lowing for any cracks and gaps that could cause air leaks.
* Door and window frames
* Mail chutes
* Electrical and gas service entrances
* Cable TV and phone lines
* Outdoor water faucets
* Where dryer vents pass through walls
* Bricks, siding, stucco, and foundation
* Air conditioners
* Vents and fans.
For a step-by-step guide (with pictures) and a complete list of tools and supplies, click over to the Do It Yourself guide. The Department of Energy’s website has several tips for boosting your home’s energy efficiency. Check out their suggestions for weather stripping and adding additional insulation, as well as some of their other helpful hints for reducing your energy bill.
If you’re renting a home, you should still consider making weatherization repairs to help boost your energy efficiency. If you qualify for the federal Low Income Energy Assistance Program, you should get your landlord to sign an agreement that they won’t raise your rent based on the improvements you have made. If you’re in an apartment, don’t waste your time and money on making repairs. That’s what the maintenance crew at your complex is for.
All those house repairs sound like a lot of work. I’d rather make a nice pitcher of lemonade and a dozen cupcakes for someone else while they putz around the house with their tools. Any takers?
Photo credit: stock.xchng
Great tips and this is a good time to focus on it before the cold returns. This past winter, we could actually feel the movement of cold air through our floors. I wonder if there are things that could be done on the inside of the house. I’m with you Serena. I’d rather cook for the mechanical types than try to tackle it on my own!
In incense stick will help you identify air leaks. A draft, as in moving cold air, feels much colder than a simply lowered temperature (this is why fans cool you off even as they push warm air around). So stopping drafts wherever you can will help. I have a brick house and found that removeable caulking around windows in winter helps seal in drafts and buying heavy, quilted drapes that extend to the side and floor around the window really help, aside from their dramatic flair. If you gently pry up the quarterround in front of your trim, you can usually find a gap between the drywall and floor that is especially leak-prone. Expanding foam or caulking will seal it and be covered up when you reattach the baseboards.
I have to say the best investment I made to save energy was a warm down comforter in my bed and a programmable thermostat. I turn down the heat from 21 (Celsius, sorry, I don’t know the F equivalent) to 18 when we’re away in the day and again as low as 15 at night between 2 am and 6:30. It has saved me about 20% of my total heating costs.
Great suggestion, Regan.
thanks for the tips! i live in an old historic house that is really drafty. We had a cold and expensive winter!