For what the typical family wastes every year on air leaks--about $350--you can plug energy-robbing gaps, start saving money, and enjoy a more comfortable home.
A typical family spends about a third of its annual heating and cooling budget-roughly $350-on air that leaks into or out of the house through unintended gaps and cracks. With the money you waste in just one year, you can plug many of those leaks yourself. It's among the most cost-effective things you can do to conserve energy and increase comfort, according to Energy Star. Start in the attic, since that's where you'll find some of the biggest energy drains. Then tackle the basement, to prevent cold air that enters there from being sucked into upstairs rooms. Finally, seal air leaks in the rest of the house. Here are eight places to start.
1. INSULATE AROUND RECESSED LIGHTS
Most recessed lights have vents that open into the attic, a direct route for heated or cooled air to escape. When you consider that many homes have 30 or 40 of these fixtures, it's easy to see why researchers at the Pennsylvania Housing Research/Resource Center pinpointed them as a leading cause of household air leaks. Lights labeled ICAT, for "insulation contact and air tight," are already sealed; look for the label next to the bulb. If you don't see it, assume yours leaks. An airtight baffle ($8-$30 at the home center) is a quick fix. Remove the bulb, push the baffle up into the housing, then replace the bulb.
2. PLUG OPEN STUD CAVITIES
Most of your house probably has an inner skin of drywall or plaster between living space and unheated areas. But builders in the past often skipped this cover behind knee walls (partial-height walls where the roof angles down into the top floor), above dropped ceilings or soffits, and above angled ceilings over stairs.
Up in the attic, you may need to push insulation away to see if the stud cavities are open. If they are, seal them with unfaced fiberglass insulation ($1.30 a square foot) stuffed into plastic garbage bags; the bag is key to blocking air flow. Close large gaps with scraps of drywall or pieces of reflective foil insulation ($2 a square foot). Once you've covered the openings, smooth the insulation back into place. To see these repairs in action, consult Energy Star's DIY guide to air sealing(http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/publications/pubdocs/DIY_Guide_May_2008.pdf).
3. CLOSE GAPS AROUND FLUES AND CHIMNEYS
Building codes require that wood framing be kept at least one inch from metal flues and two inches from brick chimneys. But that creates gaps where air can flow through. Cover the gaps with aluminum flashing ($12) cut to fit and sealed into place with high-temperature silicone caulk ($20). To keep insulation away from the hot flue pipe, form a barrier by wrapping a cylinder of flashing around the flue, leaving a one-inch space in between. To maintain the spacing, cut and bend a series of inch-deep tabs in the cylinder's top and bottom edges.
4. WEATHERSTRIP THE ATTIC ACCESS DOOR
A quarter-inch gap around pull-down attic stairs or an attic hatch lets through the same amount of air as a bedroom heating duct. Seal it by caulking between the stair frame and the rough opening, or by installing foam weatherstripping around the perimeter of the hatch opening. Or you can buy a pre-insulated hatch cover kit, such as the Energy Guardian from ESS Energy Products ($150).
5. SQUIRT FOAM IN THE MEDIUM-SIZE GAPS
Once the biggest attic gaps are plugged, move on to the medium-size ones. Low-expansion polyurethane foam in a can is great for plugging openings 1/4-inch to three inches wide, such as those around plumbing pipes and vents. A standard 12-ounce can ($5) is good for 250 feet of bead about half an inch thick. The plastic straw applicator seals shut within two hours of the first use, so to get the most mileage out of a can, squirt a lubricant such as WD-40 onto a pipe cleaner and stuff that into the applicator tube between uses.
6. CAULK THE SKINNY GAPS
Caulk makes the best gap-filler for openings less than 1/4-inch wide, such as those cut around electrical boxes. Silicone costs the most ($8 a tube) but works better next to nonporous materials, such as metal flashing, or where there are temperature extremes, as in attics. Acrylic latex caulk ($2 a tube) is less messy to work with and cleans up with water.
7. PLUG GAPS IN THE BASEMENT
Gaps low on a foundation wall matter if you're trying to fix a wet basement, but only those above the outside soil level let air in. Seal those with the same materials you'd use in an attic: caulk for gaps up to 1/4-inch wide and spray foam for wider ones. Use high-temperature caulk around vent pipes that get hot, such as those for the furnace or water heater. Shoot foam around wider holes for wires, pipes, and ducts that pass through basement walls to the outside.
In most older houses with basements, air seeps in where the house framing sits on the foundation. Spread a bead of caulk between the foundation and the sill plate (the wood immediately above the foundation), and along the top and bottom edges of the rim joist (the piece that sits atop the sill plate).
8. TIGHTEN UP AROUND WINDOWS AND DOORS
In the main living areas of your home, the most significant drafts tend to occur around windows and doors. If you have old windows, caulking and adding new weatherstripping goes a long way toward tightening them up. Bronze weatherstripping ($12 for 17 feet) lasts for decades but is time-consuming to install, while some self-stick plastic types are easy to put on but don't last very long. Adhesive-backed EPDM rubber ($8 for 10 feet) is a good compromise, rated to last at least 10 years. Nifty gadgets called pulley seals ($9 a pair) block air from streaming though the holes where cords disappear into the frames.
Weatherstripping also works wonders on doors. If a draft comes in at the bottom, install a new door sweep ($9).
BEFORE WORKING IN THE ATTIC, TAKE SOME PRECAUTIONS
Try to do attic work on a cool day. Wear protective gear: disposable clothes, gloves, and a double-elastic mask or half-face respirator. Bring along a droplight with a fluorescent bulb, plus at least two pieces of plywood big enough to span two or three joists to support you as you work. To save trips up and down a ladder, try to move up all of the materials you need before you get started. One warning: If you find vermiculite insulation, hold off until you've had it checked for asbestos; your health department or air-quality agency can recommend a lab.
Jeanne Huber writes a home-repair column for the Washington Post and has commissioned three new roofs on various houses over the years.
By: Jeanne Huber
Reprinted from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (R).
If you're wondering what to do this October or what is going on in the Portland Metro area, here are a couple ideas for you and your family!
Get Your Finances in Order: To-Do List
1. Develop a household budget. Instead of creating a budget of what you’d like to spend, use receipts to create a budget that reflects your actual spending habits over the last several months. This approach will factor in unexpected expenses, such as car repairs, as well as predictable costs such as rent, utility bills, and groceries.
2. Reduce your debt. Lenders generally look for a total debt load of no more than 36 percent of income. This figure includes your mortgage, which typically ranges between 25 and 28 percent of your net household income. So you need to get monthly payments on the rest of your installment debt — car loans, student loans, and revolving balances on credit cards — down to between 8 and 10 percent of your net monthly income.
3. Look for ways to save. You probably know how much you spend on rent and utilities, but little expenses add up, too. Try writing down everything you spend for one month. You’ll probably spot some great ways to save, whether it’s cutting out that morning trip to Starbucks or eating dinner at home more often.
4. Increase your income. Now’s the time to ask for a raise! If that’s not an option, you may want to consider taking on a second job to get your income at a level high enough to qualify for the home you want.
5. Save for a down payment. Designate a certain amount of money each month to put away in your savings account. Although it’s possible to get a mortgage with only 5 percent down, or even less, you can usually get a better rate if you put down a larger percentage of the total purchase. Aim for a 20 percent down payment.
6. Keep your job. While you don’t need to be in the same job forever to qualify for a home loan, having a job for less than two years may mean you have to pay a higher interest rate.
7. Establish a good credit history. Get a credit card and make payments by the due date. Do the same for all your other bills, too. Pay off the entire balance promptly.
For a FREE Home Buyer's Guide Book contact Molly!
I've had some great success with this program, wanted to let everyone know to know it does exist!!!
What is a Key Community Mortgage?
What Does It take to Qualify?
Do you qualify? Is now the time to buy your first home?
This is a terrific program offered through KeyBank Mortgage. For more information on this or other Homebuyer programs please contact me!
1. Turn down the dial.
Set your thermostat to 68 degrees. With each degree you lower, you can save 2-5% on heating costs. Layer warm weather clothing while at home and you won’t even notice the difference. At night or when leaving the home for an extended period of time, lower the thermostat to 55-60 degrees. An automatic thermostat will make this even easier! Just program the temperatures based on your daily schedule. Doing this will knock off 5-20% on your heating bill.
2. Don’t overreact to a cold home.
When you come home after a day of work to a frigid home, or are home in the middle of the day when your thermostat is programmed to 55, don’t overreact and crank the heat up to 75. You only need to heat to 68 degrees and setting the thermostat to 75 won’t heat the home any faster than if it’s set to 68. If you are home before the furnace has turned on, you can simply override your thermostat to 68. Be patient and throw on a sweater. You may not realize when the thermostat reaches 68, and before you know it you’ve been heating your house at 7 degrees higher than you need – or want – to pay for!
3. A clean furnace is an efficient furnace.
Replace or clean furnace filters once a month. Dirty filters restrict air flow and increase energy use.
4. Hot water can still be hot and save you money!
Set your water heater to the normal setting or 120 degrees. You can save up to 11% on heating costs!
5. Go green with ENERGY STAR®.
Consider replacing old gas appliances with ENERGY STAR® qualified products or add HWA’s GreenPlus to your plan. If your appliances are more than 12 years old, you should consider the upgrade. The Consumer Energy Center recommends replacing your old gas appliances with ENERGY STAR® qualified products. Gas water heaters are labeled with an EF number the higher the EF, the more energy efficient the appliance will be.
6. Beat the cold weather dryness.
Use a humidifier to add moisture to the dry winter air in your home. Moister air feels warmer, so by using a humidifier, you will be more comfortable in your home even when the thermostat is set to a lower temperature.
7. If you don’t use it, don’t heat it.
Close off unused rooms such as spare bedrooms. When the room is not in use, close the floor or wall registers and keep the doors closed. If you have guests coming to visit, you can re-open everything and the room will warm up in just a couple hours.
8. Let the sunshine in.
Open south or east facing window curtains and blinds in the morning and during the day to take advantage of sunny days. At night, close window coverings to keep the heat in.
9. Let your radiators and heating vents do their job.
Don’t block your radiators or vents with furniture or draperies. Keep them free of dirt and dust and position your furniture so the heat can fill the room.
10. Cold water can do it better.
Cold water does more for your disposal. Run cold water when you are using your garbage disposal and it will work even better. Hot water uses energy to warm the water. Cold water saves energy, plus it solidifies grease, moving it more easily through the garbage disposal and pipes.
11. Cook small.
Prepare meals with small appliances rather than firing up the range. A microwave, toaster oven, electric skillet and slow cooker use much less energy than the range. Plus, the smaller appliances heat up much quicker. You can reduce cooking energy by as much as 80% when using your microwave for small portions. So when you’re preparing smaller recipes or just need a quick warm-up, the smaller appliances are perfect!
 |
|
|
Purchasing or Selling Real Estate can be a stressful and complicated process. Having someone that is dedicated to you helps to alleviate the stress and make this an enjoyable moment.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2012 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
