The Indianapolis climate demands furnace or A/C usage for much of the year, so taking steps to increase your home’s energy efficiency can really pay off. A basic home energy evaluation will help you find areas for improvement.
Check for Air Leaks
Air leaks around your windows, doors, exhaust fans, utility line entry points, and other areas could be unnecessarily raising your heating and cooling bills. For a simple way to detect leaks, wait for a breezy day and hold a lit incense stick near the point you suspect might have an air leak. Infiltrating air will blow the smoke to one side.
Missing or deteriorated weatherstripping and caulk around your windows and doors means you probably have air leakage. Also check in your attic for adequate sealing around the attic hatch and in the basement for well-sealed rim joists.
Inspect Your Insulation
Your attic should have at least an R-49 layer of insulation. That’s around 16 inches of fiberglass batt insulation. Even if you already have this, adding more to reach an R-60 layer will reduce unwanted heat loss and gain even further. The ducts in your attic, basement, and other unconditioned spaces should also be insulated. If your walls or floors are cold in winter, chances are they lack sufficient insulation.
Assess Your Appliances
Check the ages of your furnace, air conditioner, water heater, and refrigerator. Appliances lose efficiency as they age and new models are more efficient than those made 10 years ago ever were. If any of your appliances are more than 10 years old, replacing them will most likely save you money in the long run. If you’re still using incandescent bulbs, consider upgrading to a more energy-efficient option such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or LEDs.
While a DIY assessment identifies major sources of energy loss, a professional home energy evaluation can reveal the small yet significant problems you’re likely to miss.
When you’re ready for a professional home energy evaluation, contact us at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing in the Indianapolis area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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