Reduce Your Heating Bill This Winter
As winter approaches and the air gets colder, many of us are beginning to think of ways to save money on our heating bills. Of course, putting on an extra sweater always helps, but it doesn’t really reduce the energy bill all that much.
Air Leaks are the Main Culprit
There can be literally dozens of places in your home where cold air seeps in and heat escapes. Common examples include windows, doors, dryer vents, roof vents, walls, floors, wall outlets and so on. Often, in areas where significant heat loss occurs, a cool draft is easily noticed.
There are several products sold at home improvement stores that tout “energy savings” and “heat loss prevention.” These products include weather stripping, Window Insulation Kits which consist of plastic shrink film and double faced tape, quilted curtains, foam outlet sealers and so on. If used properly, many of these products help. However, BlueWater Builders suggests that you talk to your contractor and ask for an Energy Savings Consultation or an Energy Audit. Most contractors offer some sort of energy-savings checklist of minor improvements that add up to big savings.
Adding Insulation to an Existing Home
Unless your home was specially constructed for energy efficiency, you can usually reduce your energy bills by adding more insulation. Many older homes have significantly less insulation than homes built today, however adding insulation to a newer home typically pays for itself within a few years.
To determine whether you should add insulation, you first need to find out how much insulation you already have in your home and where.
A qualified home energy auditor will include an insulation check as a routine part of a whole-house energy audit. An energy audit will also help identify areas of your home that are in need of air sealing (before you insulate, you should make sure that your home is properly air sealed).
If you don’t want an energy audit, you need to find out the following:
- Where your home is, isn’t, and/or should be insulated
- What type of insulation you have
- The R-value and the thickness or depth (inches) of the insulation you have.
If you live in a newer house, you can probably find out this information from the builder. If you live in an older house, you’ll need to inspect the insulation yourself if you don’t want an energy audit.
BlueWater Builders regularly performs Energy Audits and makes minor home improvments to existing homes. Our numbers show homeowners who have hired BlueWater, are reducing their heating and cooling bills by up to half! This is significant savings and very exciting for our customers. Please contact us today to learn more about how you can save money this winter.
www.blue-waterbuilders.com
email: bluewaterbuilder@gmail.com
phone: 763.898.2858
