Green Means

Cutting Heat Bills in Half

            While you may not get the last laugh at multi-national oil companies, you can at least get in a little snicker.  How?  By buying less fuel.

            If your house is drafty and uses propane, natural gas, or electricity for heat you may be able to cut fuel bills in half.  A few simple actions could make your home feel warmer, reduce green house gas emissions, and save money. 

            First: Find all the places where cold air is penetrating, or heat is escaping, from the home. I promote do-it-yourself work, but you can also pay for an independent home energy audit. 

            To find leaks, burn an incense stick near areas you think may be leaking air.  If you see smoke wafting abnormally, as if from a slight breeze, you have a breech in the building’s envelope.  If you feel cold penetrating floors or other areas, these may also be breeches that don’t necessarily cause a draft.  Cold areas are typically around windows, doors, electrical outlets, ducts, pipes, ceilings, the base of exterior walls, and floors. Anywhere there is a breech in a solid structure, such as where an exhaust fan is vented, can be a source of air leaks.

Problem:  Cold air entering around windows. 

Single pane and solely metal clad windows cause a lot of winter heat loss, as well as summer heat gain. 

Windows may be good or even excellent quality, but if they weren’t installed with a healthy band of caulk all around the back of the frame when set in place, and/or the exterior edges weren’t caulked after installation, cold air is likely entering your home. 

Solution:  Caulk the exterior and interior periphery of all windows. 

Purchase clear window caulk, or other appropriate color, to match the home’s exterior.  Read labels.  Some caulks are more flexible and/or paintable than others.  Buy what suits your needs.  Caulk around the entire exterior periphery of the windows where they meet the siding or stucco.  Caulk interiors of windows where frames and/or moldings meet drywall.  Replace single pane or all metal frame windows with high quality, double pane, Low E windows. 

Problem: Cold air entering around doors.

Solution: Replace the weather stripping and/or the door. 

Home supply stores sell different types of stripping depending upon how and where it will be used.  Check what you currently have and buy the same or similar type of new stripping. Weather stripping often has to be replaced every so many years.  It’s cheap and an easy energy fix.  Sometimes in older or more cheaply built homes, doors are just plain thin or lack insulation.  Replace a thin door with one that’s insulated.

Problem: Cold air infiltrating from electrical outlets. 

Often cold air can be felt by placing your hand in front of an electrical outlet.  This is because cold air from either the attic or crawl space is entering living space via conduits or chases.

Solution: Insulated plug covers.

Outlet covers can be purchased at any hardware store and really make difference.  Every little bit of cold air penetration adds up to increased heating bills.  Take no breach for granted.

Problem: Heating ducts not connected or sealed tightly. 

If your house has duct work that conducts forced air heat, ducts may be loose or not sealed tightly.  Examining ducts isn’t the most fun thing to do as it often involves crawling under the house or in an attic. 

Solution: Secure duct connections tightly.

Seal with silver tape made for ducts.  It’s thinner and shinier than duct tape.  While duct tape may be purported to fix everything, it really isn’t the best thing to use on ducts as it dries out and tends to fall off over time – especially in Nevada’s arid climate. 

Problem: Cold air around pipes. 

Plumbing or gas pipes entering living space from attics, crawl spaces, or simply underground can also bring in cold temperatures. 

Solution: Wrap water pipes with pipe insulation and seal areas where they enter the home with caulk or non-formaldehyde foam. 

Never use regular spray foam insulation where it can off gas toxins into interior spaces.  Use green, family safe products such as BioBased – a soy based polyurethane foam insulation.

Problem: Heat escaping up through the ceiling.

Solution: Insulate the heck out of your ceiling. 

Make sure your ceiling will support the weight of sprayed in cellulose or other heavier type insulation.  Most ceilings will be accept holding up to a value of R-60, the maximum recommended as after that there is a point of diminishing return on insulation investments.  Numerous green insulation products are available: Green Fiber cellulose, Igloo cellulose Thermafleece sheep’s wool, Ultratouch – recycle denims, and the list goes on.

Problem: Cold penetrating from the bases of exterior walls. 

Box sills or band joists which are the lower pieces of wall construction between the main floor and the ground typically have limited insulation.  Floors often feel colder around the base of exterior walls.

Solution: Use spray foam or batt insulation. 

Crawling under the house to insulate the band joists is an ugly job, but worth doing.  Put on the coveralls, wear gloves, and get over the arachnophobia.

Problem: Drafts and cold that penetrate the main floor.

Solution:  Insulate under floors.

Batt insulation is likely the easiest to install under subfloors.  Close crawl space vents during cold snaps or during the two coldest months of the year.  Make sure there that your crawl space is adequately vented to prevent moisture buildup, harmful molds, and mildews.  If crawl space vents are not movable, replace them with opening and closing models. 

            Fuel companies have plenty of money, so don’t give them yours.  Making your home’s envelop tight may save you enough money to send your children to top universities, or just retire a little earlier.  

Shannon Scott is a green home owner, designer, and builder.  She’d love to hear from you.  Send comments or questions to greenmeansnv@gmail.com