to find out which parts of your house use the most energy. A home
energy audit will pinpoint those areas and suggest the most effective
measures for cutting your energy costs. You can conduct a simple home
energy audit yourself, you can contact your local utility, or you can
call an independent energy auditor for a more comprehensive
examination. For more information about home energy audits, including
free tools and calculators, visit www.energysavers.gov or www.natresnet.org/resources/
Energy Auditing Tips
• Check the insulation levels in your attic, exterior and basement
walls, ceilings, floors, and crawl spaces. Visit www.energysavers.gov
for instructions on checking your insulation levels.
• Check for holes or cracks around your walls, ceilings, windows,
doors, light and plumbing fixtures, switches, and electrical outlets
that can leak air into or out of your home.
• Check for open fireplace dampers.
• Make sure your appliances and heating and cooling systems are
properly maintained. Check your owner's manuals for the recommended
maintenance.
• Study your family's lighting needs and use patterns, paying
special
attention to high-use areas such as the living room, kitchen, and
outside lighting. Look for ways to use lighting controls—like
occupancy sensors, dimmers, or timers—to reduce lighting energy use,
and replace standard (also called incandescent) light bulbs and
fixtures with compact or standard fluorescent lamps.
Formulating Your Plan
After you have identified where your home is losing energy, assign
priorities by asking yourself a few important questions:
• How much money do you spend on energy?
• Where are your greatest energy losses?
• How long will it take for an investment in energy efficiency to pay
for itself in energy cost savings?
• Do the energy saving measures provide additional benefits that are
important to you (for example, increased comfort from installing
double-paned, efficient windows)?
• How long do you plan to own your current home?
• Can you do the job yourself or will you need to hire a contractor?
• What is your budget and how much time do you have to spend on
maintenance and repair?
How We Use Energy in Our Homes
Heating accounts for the biggest chunk of a typical utility bill.
Once you assign priorities to your energy needs, you can form a whole
house efficiency plan. Your plan will provide you with a strategy for
making smart purchases and home improvements that maximize energy
efficiency and save the most money.
Another option is to get the advice of a professional. Many utilities
conduct energy audits for free or for a small charge. For a fee, a
professional contractor will analyze how well your home's energy
systems work together and compare the analysis to your utility bills.
He or she will use a variety of equipment such as blower doors,
infrared cameras, and surface thermometers to find leaks and drafts.
After gathering information about your home, the contractor or auditor
will give you a list of recommendations for cost effective energy
improvements and enhanced comfort and safety. A good contractor will
also calculate the return on your investment in high efficiency
equipment compared with standard equipment.
Tips for Finding a Contractor
• Ask neighbors and friends for recommendations
• Look in the Yellow Pages
• Focus on local companies
• Look for licensed, insured contractors
• Get three bids with details in writing
• Ask about previous experience
• Check references
• Check with the Better Business Bureau
Checking your home's insulation is one of the fastest and most cost
efficient ways to use a whole house approach to reduce energy waste
and make the most of your energy dollars. A good insulating system
includes a combination of products and construction techniques
that protect a home from outside temperatures—hot and cold, protect
it against air leaks, and control moisture. You can increase the
comfort of your home while reducing your heating and cooling needs by
up to 30% by investing just a few hundred dollars in proper insulation
and sealing air leaks.
Insulation
First, check the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior and
basement walls, floors, and crawl spaces to see if it meets the levels
recommended for your area. Insulation is measured in R-values—the
higher the R-value, the better your walls and roof will resist the
transfer of heat. DOE recommends ranges of R-values based on local
heating and cooling costs and climate conditions in different areas of
the nation. State and local codes in some parts of the country may
require lower R-values than the DOE recommendations.
Where to Insulate
Adding insulation in the areas shown below may be the best way to
improve your home's energy efficiency.
Crawl space
Basement
Attic
Walls
Floors
For customized insulation recommendations, visit energysavers.gov and
check out the Zip Code Insulation Calculator, which lists the most
economic insulation levels for your new or existing home based on your
zip code and other basic information about your home.
Although insulation can be made from a variety of materials, it
usually comes in four types; each type has different characteristics.
Rolls and batts—or blankets—are flexible products made from mineral
fibers, such as fiberglass and rock wool. They are available in widths
suited to standard spacings of wall studs and attic or floor joists.
2x4 walls can hold R-13 or R-15 batts; 2x6 walls can have R-19or R-21
products.
Loose-fill insulation—usually made of fiberglass, rock wool, or
cellulose comes in shreds, granules, or nodules. These small particles
should be blown into spaces using special pneumatic equipment. The
blown-in material conforms readily to building cavities and attics.
Therefore, loose-fill insulation is well suited for places where it is
difficult to install other types of insulation.
Rigid foam insulation—foam insulation typically is more expensive
than fiber insulation. But it's very effective in buildings with
space limitations and where higher R-values are needed. Foam
insulation R-values range from R-4 to R-6.5 per inch of thickness
(2.54 cm), which is up to 2 times greater than most other insulating
materials of the same thickness.
Foam-in-place insulation—can be blown into walls and reduces air
leakage.
Insulation Tips
• Consider factors such as your climate, building design, and budget
when selecting insulation R-values for your home.
• Use higher density insulation, such as rigid foam boards, in
cathedral ceilings and on exterior walls.
• Ventilation plays a large role in providing moisture control and
reducing summer cooling bills. Attic vents can be installed along the
entire ceiling cavity to help ensure proper airflow from the soffit to
the attic to make a home more comfortable and energy efficient.
• Recessed light fixtures can be a major source of heat loss, but you
need to be careful how close you place insulation next to a fixture
unless it is marked IC—designed for direct insulation contact. Check
your local building codes for recommendations.
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