Energy Audits: What Homeowners Need to Know

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

The areas of highest pressure, where you will experience the majority of heating and cooling losses, are at the highest and lowest points of your house. Your audit will likely have a lot of focus on your ceiling/attic plane. If you have recessed lighting, plumbing and wiring chases, or flue chases that create holes in this barrier, you will be able to save a lot of money by sealing them up. However, they must be sealed correctly using the correct materials to ensure safety. At the lowest areas of your home you will find your rim joist (the area where the floor joists sit on top of your foundation wall) may possibly be insulated, but probably not air sealed. Foam board and foam or foam insulation does a great job of air sealing and insulating this area. The basement or crawlspace ceiling is usually riddled with holes and penetrations that can be easily sealed with foam board and foam. Correcting issues at the highest and lowest points of your home will actually lower the rate of air leakage throughout all levels of your home.

When they start learning about energy efficiency, and looking at energy audits, one of the first things people say is that they’re thinking of buying new windows.

People like the idea of installing new windows. They look good and give the house a face-lift and everyone has heard the ads saying that they can save up to 40 percent in energy costs. The key words that most people miss in those ads are “up to.” During an audit people complain that they feel cold and drafts around their windows. Many times this is due to the installation, not the window itself. Windows are fit into holes cut into the wall called “rough openings.” The area around the window is sometimes stuffed with insulation, but very seldom air sealed. So the insulation does little to prevent the cold air from coming in through the opening around the window. A homeowner can remove the trim around the window and air seal around it using a non-expanding foam or caulk product (they should check with their window company to ensure the product used does not void their window warranty). They can also caulk around the trim, inside and out, to stop the air flow. Curtains help provide comfort as well by blocking radiant energy transfer.

If you have decent windows now, does it pay to replace them? No. They’re not going to pay you back. Double pane windows, or single pane windows that have storms have an average R-Value of 2. Triple pane windows have an average R-Value of 3. The best windows on the market might get up to an R-Value of 7 or more, however they are going to be very expensive. Adding insulation to an uninsulated wall will provide greater benefit (average R-13) over a larger area for less money. If someone wants new windows for the aesthetics, that’s fine. Just don’t assume the energy savings will pay for them.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print