Adequately sealing off your windows and doors from possible air leaks will reduce your heating costs. Winterizing your home can be as simple as applying weather stripping to doors, which can save you about 10% in heating costs, or installing and upgrading doors and windows. Evaluate your home to assess the current problem areas. Weather stripping is a quick and easy process that can be done by the average do-it-yourselfer. If, however, you decide that window replacements are needed, consult with a professional. As the owner of Westmoreland Contractor Referral Service, customers have shared their stories with me regarding their attempt at replacing windows on their own. Window replacements must be installed correctly to maximize the insulation. Gaps around doors and baseboards are the typical areas where homeowners can apply a simple weather stripping or caulking to stop drafts. In addition, may homeowners forget to close the working fireplace when not in use. Warm air will rise and escape from your home through the chimney. Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can provide a large savings in heating with little investment. Insulation is measured by an R-value. R-values measure the materials with respect to how easily heat can pass through. The easier for heat to pass through, the lower the R-value. R stands for resistance. Newly constructed homes typically have a wall R-value of 20 to 30. Older homes were typically built with a much lower R-value. Insulating older homes is simple and can have a major impact on heating and cooling costs. A few ways to insulate include, blown in insulation, mild renovation, and true renovation. Blown in instulation is done by drilling two inch hole into the walls and using a blowing machine to force pulverized insulation into the wall space. Although it is impossible to guarantee that the wall space is filled completely, this process is effective. A three to four inch wall space with increased R-value of R-2 to R-13 can save up to six times the amount of heat that can escape. Mild renovation insulation is a process of adding one inch of foam board or R-5 to existing inside walls and them covering them with new drywall. This option is not as effective as blown in insulation, but can provide up to four times the heat that can escape. True renovation insulation is a process of removing old plaster wall sheathing and then properly sealing and insulating the wall space. This is the best option and would fill the entire wall space and seal all cracks. The R-value could be increased from R-2 to R-20 and provide up to ten times the amount of heat that escapes. In addition to insulating your walls the attic space should be completely insulated and sealed. The goal is to stop your heat from rising and escaping through the attic. The same options are available to attic insulation as walls, with some small deviations. The primary issue with insulating attic spaces is with ensuring that you maintain air circulation so that condensation build up does not occur. Regardless of the type of insulating project you decide to do, the end result is a reduction in the overall heating and cooling cost. Although many homeowners have a general idea of the benefits of insulating the home, most don't realize that a little insulation can provide a cost savings benefit.
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