Your Energy Diet - More Tips For Your Home

Since we have looked at simple tips you can address quickly in lowering energy comsumption, there are a few advanced tips that will help make your home better prepared to lower your energy use and cost. Here a couple that really work.

1. Are your window and doors properly sealed or are you losing heat or air?
Many homes are not sealed as they should be to eliminate the passage of air in or out. The main contributors are windows and doors. Use a lighted insense stick and move it slowly around the edges of your windows and doors. If you see movement of the smoke from an outside source, you have an air leak. If you have molding around the doors or windows, move the insense along the edge of the molding where it meets the wall. Again, movement of the smoke indicates an air leak.

To remedy this air leak, you will need to caulk the windows and doors with a good silicon sealer. If the air leak is severe around the doors, you may need to remove the molding and reinsulate with a foam insulation. Once done, your drafts will be gone. (While checking for air leaks, check the bottom of the doors for drafts. If you detect any, replace the threshold insert or felt door sweep.)

2. Are your switches and recepticles allowing air movement?
Until just a few years ago, most builders were not even aware that insulating switches and recepticles was a good backup to insure the house was properly sealed. In fact, many builders dismiss the idea feeling they did a good job of insulation. Not so. Builders go by minimum code which is usually years behind in technology.

You can get foam switch and recepticle sealers at any hardware or home repair store. Just remove the covers and fit in the sealers. Make sure you check how many you need and the size (single or double) and style (switch or recepticle).

3. How's the insulation in your attic?
There is no hard and fast rule about how much insulation you need except that where you live is the main determination. Northern zones need about an R38, temperate zones need about R30, and southern zones need an R26. To determine R value for a quick evaluation, 1 inch of insulation equals about R value of 3. So, Chicago attics need 13 inches, Tulsa attics need about 10 inches, and Houston attics need 9 inches.

Check the temperature in your rooms. If a room is cooler in the winter than another when standing by an interior wall and you have sealed the windows and doors, then you could have an insulation problem or a heating problem. Check the amount of insulation in inches in your attic. If your measurement is below what we suggest above, you may need to add insulation. If the amount of insulation is adequate, you may have a heating (or cooling) problem.

We have given you some of the steps you can take to improve your home's energy usage. If you are not a "handy person", most power companies will provide some sort of help either by a kit or an energy audit. If you don't know how to do what we suggest, get qualified help. Start with your power company.

In our next post, we'll give some more tips about improving your home's energy usage. We will then move on to other areas which can improve your environment and reduce energy consumption as well as save you money. Also, your health in the long run will benefit.