Improve Energy Efficiency Year-Round: A Checklist To Get Started
The energy efficiency of your home has a direct effect on your indoor comfort level and on the amount of money you spend each month to keep your living spaces heated or cooled. Here are nine areas that deserve extra attention when looking for ways to improve home performance.
- Openings (doors and windows) and structure (floor, ceiling, and walls): Add weatherstripping around doors and windows to stop drafts. Caulk around window panes with silicone caulk. Find and seal holes in the building’s frame to prevent costly air leaks.
- HVAC system: Schedule a preventive maintenance inspection and tune-up for your furnace, air conditioner, heat pump or boiler. Regular maintenance keeps HVAC units working properly and efficiently. Consider replacing your existing heating or cooling unit with a high-efficiency system, particularly if it’s more than 12 years old.
- HVAC system ductwork: Prevent air leaks in your ducts by making sure all sections of ductwork fit together tightly and that connections are thoroughly sealed with mastic or metal tape.
- Attic: Put in or increase the amount of insulation in your attic to prevent heat and moisture buildup. Put fiberglass roll or blanket insulation in the attic floor, walls and ceiling.
- Windows: Install energy-efficient windows, such as window units with insulated double-pane glass, low-E glass or well-sealed vinyl or wood frames.
- Water heater: Replace your existing water heater with a high-efficiency model or with a tankless on-demand unit. Insulate the tank on your water heater to prevent heat loss of stored water.
- Lighting: Switch out high-wattage incandescent bulbs and replace them with energy-efficient compact fluorescent or LED bulbs.
- Ceiling fans: Install an Energy Star-certified ceiling fan and use it to improve cooling in the summer months. Reverse the fan’s airflow to aid indoor heating during winter by recirculating warm air.
- Appliances and Equipment: Replace existing appliances with Energy Star-certified models or other types of high-efficiency equipment. Turn off appliances, electronics and other equipment when not in use.
For more information on how to improve home performance and boost whole-home energy efficiency, contact us today at Sobieski Services. Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).
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