An energy-efficient home is a cost-effective one, and usually more comfortable cooler on hot days and warmer on chilly ones. Although new appliances, more efficient windows, wall, floor and ceiling insulation and other expensive alterations all contribute, making your home energy-efficient doesn't have to be expensive. Follow along as we take a tour through such a home.
Turn down the temperature at the water heater 10 degrees and save 10 percent annually on water heating bills. And, you might find that there is absolutely no loss in temperature or comfort in the shower or bath as a result. Try it. You can always turn the temperature back up if it proves otherwise. Annual cleaning of your water heater tank can save another 5 percent on the water heater bill. Most folks are willing to insulate a water heater because it is fairly easy to do and inexpensive less than $30. Equally important is insulating hot water lines beneath the floor. In most homes the hot water lines can be insulated for under $100 and in one afternoon.
Modern American homes are required to have setback thermostats, but some are complicated and difficult to operate. A setback thermostat can switch the furnace on when heat is needed and turn it down to a lower temperature when everyone is snuggled in for the night. The same thermostat also can be programmed to shut the furnace off completely when no one is home. Also, it can turn the heat on again before anyone gets home. Call your local utility company to find out if they offer free instruction in the use of thermostats. Even if you have to pay a heating contractor to teach you how to use yours, the savings on your heating bill in one winter alone probably would cover the cost.
Heat rises, and most folks who have tried to clean a ceiling during the winter know that this is a job for a person in a bathing suit. (Talk about feeling the full effect of your furnace's output.) You wouldn't think that heat from the ceiling could make its way back down to the floor and out through the fireplace but it can and does. Air currents in the home increase when the damper in a fireplace is left open allowing the warmth that exists to be drawn up the chimney.
Caulking and gasketing are two of the least expensive methods of reducing home-energy waste. Every duct, wire or pipe that penetrates a wall, ceiling or floor is a potential energy waster. Penetrations and gaps in floors, ceilings, windows and doors should be sealed with an appropriate caulking, foam sealant, gasket or weather stripping. An electric wall switch, for example, costs about 15 cents to insulate with a pre-cut gasket which can be purchased at most home improvement centers. Plumbing vents begin below the floor and end above the roof. The holes through which these pipes pass should be sealed with foam to prevent cold air from entering the house through the floor and attic. Penetrations made for electric wires create the same problem. They also should be sealed above and below.
The refrigerator uses more energy than any other home appliance. Make sure that the door gaskets are in premium condition and that the motor is operating at peak efficiency. A door gasket can be purchased and installed for less than $35.
Low-flow shower heads save water and in so doing reduce water heating costs, not to mention water costs, by as much as half. There is a new low-flow shower head on the market that has a scald-guard feature.
Most heat loss occurs in the attic, since heat rises and the attic is the highest point. Even if your attic is insulated, it makes sense to add another layer, if you can afford it. You can't over insulate and the attic is the easiest and least expensive area to attack.
