The cost of energy is an annual headache in many homes. It is sad to say that the energy costs to be incurred this winter are projected to be even higher, this is according to the Energy Information Administration. This applies to homes which rely on oil for heating as well as the all-electric homes. This is quite an imminent challenge since the energy consumed by heating and cooling account for about 70% of the total energy used in a given home. It is necessary for homeowners to think of ways of reducing their heating and cooling costs.
You could deal with this by trying to reduce the amount of air leakage through adoption of the correct insulation, air sealing and last but not least, by improving or replacing the heating systems in use. These have been seen as the most effective ways of cutting down on the heating and cooling costs. Most of the older or traditional houses were not built to be energy efficient compared to most of the new homes. That being said, there are many new homes which are built in way that’s not optimally energy efficient.
Insulation could bring down the energy bill. You can make use of the Zip-Code Insulation Program to know the level of insulation desired for a given property and the correct locations in your home in order for you to attain the recommended insulation for optimal energy efficiency. This program will also outline the estimated costs of insulation and how much this will benefit you in terms of costs.
It is good to note that most of the homeowners think that heat only rises. While this might be correct, since hot air moves up by convection, heat additionally moves in all directions. For this reason insulation should be ensured in all the possible direction as opposed to only insulating and sealing the top floor. This will result in an insulation process that is more energy efficient to cut down on the costs optimally. You should thus insulate the whole building envelope as opposed to only concentrating on the attic.
There are a number of insulation types. The choice will be hinged on the specific part of your house that you are interested in insulating as well as its accessibility. You can choose to do it yourself, but there is also the option of using professionals in this area. The latter option is preferred since you will avoid possible challenges such as moisture as well as the interference of the quality of air besides occurrence of drafts just to mention a few.
If you happen to be in the middle or low income bracket, weatherization can be a suitable option. You could easily do this by visiting a weatherization office that is near your for any clarification. Weatherization is a preferred alternative for the older homes, their designs promote heat loss due to the chimneys, aluminum wiring as well as high floors just to mention a few of their energy depleting features.
If you want to preserve the original look but still cut down on the energy costs, weatherization provides a couple of alterations to ensure energy efficiency. Some of the alteration include replacing the aluminum wiring or modifying it, the installation of chimney balloons among many other options. Consult your weatherization office for more information.
The above measures could help you cut down on the monster behind the rise in your total energy bills. By using either insulation or weatherization, you will reduce the amount of energy consumed by your heating and cooling systems. Since the energy costs are expected to be higher in the coming energy demanding seasons, trying these solutions could help.
Written by APM Construction Services, a construction and home maintenance company that is the best choice for heating and cooling in Columbia, MO.