Slash Your Heating Bills!

(Page 4 of 6)

December 2005/January 2006
By Paul Scheckel 
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Air Sealing and Insulation

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Air leaks between the inside and outside of a building are often the biggest source of heat loss. How do you find the leaks? Sometimes you can feel the drafts; you also can walk around the inside of the house with a smoking incense stick on a windy day and watch for changes in the direction of the smoke. But air leaks are usually hidden, so the best way to find them is to hire an experienced energy auditor. The cost of a home energy audit can vary widely - most are between $100 and $500 - but the expense quickly pays for itself in energy savings. Some utilities and state energy programs offer free or low-cost energy audits; check to see what services are available in your area.

Once you have identified air leaks, many inexpensive options for air-sealing improvements are available. These can include using caulk to fill gaps no wider than half an inch; filling larger gaps with expanding foam; adding weatherstripping around windows, doors and attic hatches; and putting foam gaskets behind outlet and switch plates.

The DOE recommends different R-values for different climates. (Go to www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/insulation.html to search recommendations by ZIP code.) Based on my experience as a home energy auditor, I strongly encourage you to insulate your home to these levels. In fact, local building codes may require higher R-values for new homes than those listed by the DOE. An energy auditor or insulation contractor can tell you how much insulation you have in your walls, ceiling, floors and basement; make recommendations for improvements; and give you an idea how much such improvements will cost.

Spending what may seem like a large amount of money to upgrade insulation in a new or existing home can offer significant savings during the long-term ownership of your home. If your budget is limited, attics are an easy place to add insulation at a minimal cost, and it’s easy to do yourself. Many attics can be insulated to recommended levels for only $200 to $500.

Home Heating Checklist

  • Open the curtains and shades on sunny days.
  • Design landscaping to allow sunlight to enter south-facing windows in the winter, and to provide shade in the summer and year-round wind blocks.
  • Dress warmly and keep the temperature as low as is comfortable.
  • Use a programmable thermostat to turn down the heat at night, and while you’re at work or out of town.
  • If you have a furnace, seal and insulate your ductwork.
  • If you have a boiler, insulate all pipes leading to and from it.
  • Use insulating window curtains at night to reduce heat loss.
  • Install a ceiling fan to circulate warm air trapped at the ceiling, allowing you to turn down the thermostat a few degrees.
  • Use plastic window film, storm windows or insulating window panels if your home has single-pane windows.
  • Seal drafty areas where outside air enters the home, such as at doors and windows and anywhere air from the attic can penetrate the rest of the house, such as the chimney, plumbing chases and attic hatches.
  • Hire an experienced energy auditor to pinpoint air leakage areas that need to be sealed.
  • Insulate the attic, walls and floor to recommended levels.
  • Keep heat registers, radiators and baseboards clean and clear.
  • Use a tight-closing damper on fireplace chimneys to prevent conditioned air from flowing up the chimney.
  • If the heating system is more than 15 years old, consider replacing it with an Energy Star-qualified system.
  • If you are considering major renovations to your house, have an energy audit performed to see if any energy-efficiency improvements can be made at the same time.
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