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Home Improvement

2001-05-01 10:25:00

Don’t get caught with high utility bills this year

Question: We are wanting to do everything we can to lower our energy bills this winter. We know we probably need a little more insulation in the attic and want to check all of the doors and windows for leaks. What are some of the other things we can do that will lower our bills?

Answer:  If you do indeed have too little insulation in your attic, that is a good place to start.  A well insulated attic not only cuts down your energy bills but makes your home more comfortable by reducing or eliminating hot spots in the summer and cold spots in the winter.  An R value of 30 is probably the point of diminishing returns for the Wichita area.  Any more insulation than that will never save enough energy to pay for itself.While you're checking out your attic, look to see that you have enough ventilation.  Contrary to what many people think, closing up you attic in the winter does not save you energy and can cause your insulation to become wet and settle making it less effective and even cause structural problems and a health hazard.  Every home should have  one square foot of vent for every 300 square feet of living space.  Some of your vents should be low (in your soffits for example), and some (at least 50%) should be high, close to or right on your ridge.  This combination allows air to flow naturally through your attic so that moisture cannot accumulate.  If all of your ventilation is high or low you will need twice as much ventilation to do the job.Don't forget crawl spaces if your home has them.  Plastic sheeting should be placed on the ground to prevent moisture from rising up.  It is generally more effective to insulate the stem walls than it is the floor itself.  Another thing to look for in your home is air leaks.  There are a lot of places where this can occur, but the most common ones are faulty weather striping on your doors and old warn out windows that seem to let more in than they keep out.The answer to the door problem is a new set of weather strip on each offending door.  Be sure to caulk around all the doors and windows, being careful not to create a situation where water can get in but not out.The answer to the problem windows could be storm windows but many times replacing the old Junkers is the best answer.  Some of the new vinyl replacements can give you a lot of comfort  for a reasonable price.If replacement windows or new storm windows are not in your budget you can install inexpensive clear plastic sheets made for this purpose.  If installed correctly they can actually work better than many storm windows and last at least one or two seasons.  They are not suitable for windows that you need to open from time to time.Be careful that your quest for a tighter house does not cause you to not have enough fresh air to support combustion in your furnace and fireplace, or enough fresh air for good health.Check the air filters in you furnace regularly. When they get clogged the motor has to work much harder and uses more electricity.If your furnace and air conditioner are more than ten years old, you might talk to a qualified heating and air company about the possible savings of a much more efficient system.  This is especially true if your maintenance costs are creeping up.Your water heater can also be an energy hog.  Try to get by with the thermostat set as low as practical.  This not only saves energy but is safer and makes the heater last longer.  Periodically drain some water off the bottom of the tank to prevent sediment from building up and causing inefficient operation.When it's time to replace the water heater, buy the most energy efficient model that you can.If you have any hot water pipes or heat ducts passing through unheated places, be sure they are well insulated.If you have a fireplace, close the damper or glass door when not in use.  You might consider a highly efficient gas log insert.  These units are sealed behind glass thereby drawing no warm air out of your house and sending it up the chimney.  Some of these units are about 70% efficient as opposed to a regular fireplace which can be almost zero efficient.Some other places to look for energy loss are around your switch and receptacle plates.  Electrical boxes are not always insulated well and create a direct path through the wall and right to the outside with nothing to stop energy flow but a little sheathing and siding.  Home centers sell little foam pads made especially for this problem and they work surprisingly well for their size and cost.In the summer time, one of the worst things you can do besides leaving the doors open, is leaving lights on when they are not needed.  Experts say that for every dollar you waste on unneeded light another fifty cents is wasted cooling the air that the light bulbs heated.  While lights help heat the house in the winter time, it is a very inefficient way to do it so the best policy is to turn off the lights when they are not needed.Getting used to having your home a little warmer in the summer time and a little cooler in the winter can help also.  Setting back thermostats can help a lot for families that leave their homes empty for several hours each day.  Clothes driers produce a lot of heat and humidity, two things we want in the winter time and yet most of us vent those products outside.  There is a myriad of products on the market to help reclaim the heat and humidity without causing a health hazard.  Most of the inexpensive ones however require careful monitoring to keep them clean and working properly.These represent a few of the more important things you can do.  Think about each one as an opportunity to make your home more comfortable and save some money.  Then begin... one at a time.