Resealing Key To Valuable Energy Bill Savings
It’s money. If you close your eyes, you can literally see your home’s air leaks lifting money out of your wallet one twenty dollar bill at a time. And the last thing any family celebrating Christmas on a budget wants to think about is having to reserve extra green backs for December’s heating bill.
And we all know from painful experience, Iowa winters are historically rough on energy bills, which average $90 monthly during winter across the Hawkeye State. But jacking up the thermostat while ignoring the heat making a sprint for the exits is not the answer; resealing your home is.
“If you’re an Iowan, you’re just kind of used to (cold winters),” Alliant Energy spokesman Justin Foss told KCCI.com. “If you’re house is so warm, you are walking around in a shirt, a T-shirt and shorts, and saying to yourself, ‘Why is my utility bill so high, there’s a pretty strong connection right there.”
But pinpointing the root cause of your home’s energy leak can feel like searching for credible proof of Bigfoot for exasperated home owners who’ve been over their home with a fine tooth comb. The best place to start is requesting a Home Energy Audit from your local utilities provider.
To know where you need to focus your work on curbing your home’s winter energy bill, let’s break down the numbers for where the average home loses the most heat, according to the Washington Post.
38% of heat is lost through cracks in walls, windows and doors
The biggest culprit for home heat loss is a stealth energy leaker, sometimes operating with the discretion of Deep Throat feeding Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein information on Watergate.
The good news is caulk can put a fork in leaks less than a quarter inch wide. Using insulation form is an ace dam for large cracks.
20% of heat is lost through basement walls
If your basement walls could talk, you wouldn’t like what they spill. Fortunately, adding insulation around the walls can put a wrap on the issue.
17% of heat is lost through frame walls
Aging or under-installed insulation can lead to serious heat leaks. Consult a professional to determine the type of insulation that is the best match for your walls
16% of heat is lost through windows
Glass isn’t exactly a steel energy trap. A terrible insulater, glass needs help to contain heat. Storm windows can reduce heat loss by 10-20 percent. Adding plastic wrap is also an easy DIY project that significantly curtail heat lost by aging, drafty windows.
5% of heat is lost through ceilings
Remember, heat rises. In cracking walls, it seeps through into the attic. Be sure to insulate attics and attic access doors. Popular Mechanics reports 98 million U.S. homes are under-insulated, and uninsulated attics can increase energy bills by 67 percent in comparison to fully insulated attics.
3% of heat is lost through doors
Drafty doors are both a welcome mat and a farewell to heat. The simplest and best cure is a new door. Steel and fiberglass doors offer more insulation than wood doors. Be sure to check the Energy Star Ratings of any door you consider.
1% of heat is lost through basement floors
An aging, cracking foundation floor is no friend to your home’s energy health.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 45 percent of our energy bills goes to heating. That percentage skyrockets during the winter for unprepared homes. Don’t let this winter’s coming arctic blasts give your energy bill and your wall the cold, costly shoulder. Seal your home’s air leaks and seal off costly lost heat.
“One of the best ways to lower your winter energy bills is to reseal your home,” Ryyan Murphy, owner of Tracy, Calif’s Irish Heating and Air, told Money.com. “The average homeowner should be able to weatherstrip their windows and caulk their air leaks in only a few hours, with very low material costs, and see an immediate savings.
“If you’re looking for a change that provides real returns and doesn’t require any change in lifestyle – like turning your water heater down – this is the solution for you.”
As precious heat escapes your drafty home during the dead of winter, it’s not just valuable warmth seeping through the window.
It’s money. If you close your eyes, you can literally see your home’s air leaks lifting money out of your wallet one twenty dollar bill at a time. And the last thing any family celebrating Christmas on a budget wants to think about is having to reserve extra green backs for December’s heating bill.
And we all know from painful experience, Iowa winters are historically rough on energy bills, which average $90 monthly during winter across the Hawkeye State. But jacking up the thermostat while ignoring the heat making a sprint for the exits is not the answer; resealing your home is.
“If you’re an Iowan, you’re just kind of used to (cold winters),” Alliant Energy spokesman Justin Foss told KCCI.com. “If you’re house is so warm, you are walking around in a shirt, a T-shirt and shorts, and saying to yourself, ‘Why is my utility bill so high, there’s a pretty strong connection right there.”
But pinpointing the root cause of your home’s energy leak can feel like searching for credible proof of Bigfoot for exasperated home owners who’ve been over their home with a fine tooth comb. The best place to start is requesting a Home Energy Audit from your local utilities provider.
To know where you need to focus your work on curbing your home’s winter energy bill, let’s break down the numbers for where the average home loses the most heat, according to the Washington Post.
38% of heat is lost through cracks in walls, windows and doors
The biggest culprit for home heat loss is a stealth energy leaker, sometimes operating with the discretion of Deep Throat feeding Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein information on Watergate.
The good news is caulk can put a fork in leaks less than a quarter inch wide. Using insulation form is an ace dam for large cracks.
20% of heat is lost through basement walls
If your basement walls could talk, you wouldn’t like what they spill. Fortunately, adding insulation around the walls can put a wrap on the issue.
17% of heat is lost through frame walls
Aging or under-installed insulation can lead to serious heat leaks. Consult a professional to determine the type of insulation that is the best match for your walls
16% of heat is lost through windows
Glass isn’t exactly a steel energy trap. A terrible insulater, glass needs help to contain heat. Storm windows can reduce heat loss by 10-20 percent. Adding plastic wrap is also an easy DIY project that significantly curtail heat lost by aging, drafty windows.
5% of heat is lost through ceilings
Remember, heat rises. In cracking walls, it seeps through into the attic. Be sure to insulate attics and attic access doors. Popular Mechanics reports 98 million U.S. homes are under-insulated, and uninsulated attics can increase energy bills by 67 percent in comparison to fully insulated attics.
3% of heat is lost through doors
Drafty doors are both a welcome mat and a farewell to heat. The simplest and best cure is a new door. Steel and fiberglass doors offer more insulation than wood doors. Be sure to check the Energy Star Ratings of any door you consider.
1% of heat is lost through basement floors
An aging, cracking foundation floor is no friend to your home’s energy health.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 45 percent of our energy bills goes to heating. That percentage skyrockets during the winter for unprepared homes. Don’t let this winter’s coming arctic blasts give your energy bill and your wall the cold, costly shoulder. Seal your home’s air leaks and seal off costly lost heat.
“One of the best ways to lower your winter energy bills is to reseal your home,” Ryyan Murphy, owner of Tracy, Calif’s Irish Heating and Air, told Money.com. “The average homeowner should be able to weatherstrip their windows and caulk their air leaks in only a few hours, with very low material costs, and see an immediate savings.
“If you’re looking for a change that provides real returns and doesn’t require any change in lifestyle – like turning your water heater down – this is the solution for you.”
