At Expert Home Inspections we want to help ensure that people are able to make their homes as efficient as possible. Sealing your home from the elements can have wide-spread benefits to you and those that live in your home. Here are just a few of the benefits you can experience:
A. A more comfortable home
As you remove drafts and air leaks from your home, you will notice that just being in the home is more comfortable without drafts, having a consistent temperature, and less noise from the furnace and A/C.
B. Longer lasting appliances
It is a simple fact that equipment that is well maintained will last longer. Further, when the home is well sealed and running efficient, the equipment will have to run less to maintain a constant temperature.
C. Lower utility bills
With the furnace and A/C running less, and more efficiently, you will save money on your utility bills. Properly sealing and insulating a home can provide up to a 30% savings on utility bills. With the national average being $2200 for annual utility bills, this can be over a $600 savings.
D. An efficient home is better for the environment
With the state of our environment being threatened, the more we can do as a community to reduce our energy consumption is good for the environment.
So, on to the good stuff!! how can you save money for FREE? There are several key areas on your home that the average homeowner can quickly fix energy losses.
1. Properly closing all exterior windows and doors.
While this may seem overly obvious, during inspections I frequently find windows and doors that are believed to be closed, but in fact are not. Be sure to check all sides and moving sashes on windows. Frequently the top of a double hung window will creep down over time leaving an open gap at the top. Additionally, often new vinyl sliding windows will get built up with dirt and prevent the seals from making a proper weather barrier. Once the windows are clean and closing properly, always make sure to latch them not only for security, but to ensure they stay properly closed.
2. Check the setting on your water heater.
Often times at EHI on an inspection we find the water heater is turned up all the way. on a conventional water heater, this means the appliance must keep that entire volume of water at that temperature ALL DAY. By simply setting the water heater at 120 degrees you can save a significant amount on your energy costs. Even better...once you change this setting the savings will continue without any further effort! People often worry they will run out of hot water during a shower if they do this, however, a properly functioning 50 gallon water heater should be able to provide enough supply for the average 3 family household. If you find you are running out of hot water quickly, you can always make small adjustments to the thermostat.
3. Flush your water heater
Just as you change the oil regularly on your car, your water heater also needs regular maintenance. The nice thing about water heaters is this is a simple procedure that will help ensure your appliance is running properly and most importantly efficiently! Following are two videos on how to flush both a tank and tankless water heating systems. Conventional Tank https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCDfEzU72E0 Tankless https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znuACzzav_Y
CAUTION: while this is a simple procedure, it is always best to refer to the manual that came with your water heater and follow the manufactures directions!
4. Adjust your Furnace/Air Conditioning by 2 degrees
By raising the setting just 2 degrees in the summer and dropping it 2 degrees in the winter, you can save a significant amount on your heating and cooling costs. It may not seem like a small change would make that big a difference but it does.
5. Unplugging unused devices, especially transformers
In an age where almost everything is digital and wireless, nearly everything has one of those ubiquitous USB charging bases. Did you know that even when a device is not charging, those transformers are sucking power out of your wall!! Simply unplugging these and other unused devices can stop this constant drain on your energy bill.
A. A more comfortable home
As you remove drafts and air leaks from your home, you will notice that just being in the home is more comfortable without drafts, having a consistent temperature, and less noise from the furnace and A/C.
B. Longer lasting appliances
It is a simple fact that equipment that is well maintained will last longer. Further, when the home is well sealed and running efficient, the equipment will have to run less to maintain a constant temperature.
C. Lower utility bills
With the furnace and A/C running less, and more efficiently, you will save money on your utility bills. Properly sealing and insulating a home can provide up to a 30% savings on utility bills. With the national average being $2200 for annual utility bills, this can be over a $600 savings.
D. An efficient home is better for the environment
With the state of our environment being threatened, the more we can do as a community to reduce our energy consumption is good for the environment.
So, on to the good stuff!! how can you save money for FREE? There are several key areas on your home that the average homeowner can quickly fix energy losses.
1. Properly closing all exterior windows and doors.
While this may seem overly obvious, during inspections I frequently find windows and doors that are believed to be closed, but in fact are not. Be sure to check all sides and moving sashes on windows. Frequently the top of a double hung window will creep down over time leaving an open gap at the top. Additionally, often new vinyl sliding windows will get built up with dirt and prevent the seals from making a proper weather barrier. Once the windows are clean and closing properly, always make sure to latch them not only for security, but to ensure they stay properly closed.
2. Check the setting on your water heater.
Often times at EHI on an inspection we find the water heater is turned up all the way. on a conventional water heater, this means the appliance must keep that entire volume of water at that temperature ALL DAY. By simply setting the water heater at 120 degrees you can save a significant amount on your energy costs. Even better...once you change this setting the savings will continue without any further effort! People often worry they will run out of hot water during a shower if they do this, however, a properly functioning 50 gallon water heater should be able to provide enough supply for the average 3 family household. If you find you are running out of hot water quickly, you can always make small adjustments to the thermostat.
3. Flush your water heater
Just as you change the oil regularly on your car, your water heater also needs regular maintenance. The nice thing about water heaters is this is a simple procedure that will help ensure your appliance is running properly and most importantly efficiently! Following are two videos on how to flush both a tank and tankless water heating systems. Conventional Tank https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCDfEzU72E0 Tankless https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znuACzzav_Y
CAUTION: while this is a simple procedure, it is always best to refer to the manual that came with your water heater and follow the manufactures directions!
4. Adjust your Furnace/Air Conditioning by 2 degrees
By raising the setting just 2 degrees in the summer and dropping it 2 degrees in the winter, you can save a significant amount on your heating and cooling costs. It may not seem like a small change would make that big a difference but it does.
5. Unplugging unused devices, especially transformers
In an age where almost everything is digital and wireless, nearly everything has one of those ubiquitous USB charging bases. Did you know that even when a device is not charging, those transformers are sucking power out of your wall!! Simply unplugging these and other unused devices can stop this constant drain on your energy bill.
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