Seal old, drafty windows to maintain the temperature inside your home.
Reducing overall energy consumption is the basic premise of energy conservation. If you don’t have a home built after the year 2000, chances are you are one of the estimated 46 million U.S. homeowners with under-insulated homes, reports researchers from the Harvard University School of Public Health. Better insulation is one way to decrease your energy usage and save money.
Ways To Tell If Your Home Is Under-Insulated
- Surface of floor feels extremely cold in winter.
- Problems with dampness and condensation.
- Re-occurring mold growth in areas not exposed to water.
- Very high heating and cooling bills, although there may be other reasons for this such as temperature home is kept at.
- When in the attic, you can see the floor beams through the floor.
The U.S. Department of Energy says you can reduce your cooling and heating bills by 30% with better insulation and air sealing techniques. While adding wall/floor insulation can be costly and time consuming, there are other low-cost ways to help seal your home.
Tips For Insulation And Air Sealing
- Seal around all pipes that come through walls.
- Add weather stripping around doors and windows or replace aged weather stripping.
- Check for built-in bookshelves or cabinetry holes or gaps near the ceiling cut during original construction and seal them.
- Close the fireplace flue when not in use.
- Seal and/or cover house attic fans or evaporative coolers, depending on where you live, in the winter.
- Make certain outside dryer vent door closes when the dryer is not being used.
- Use blinds or curtains over windows to minimize air flow in/out of home during extreme temperatures.
Don’t have a properly insulated and sealed new home? Tell us what inexpensive ways you use to block drafts and maintain a comfortable home temperature.
Photo Credit: Darren Hester on www.flickr.com
