Last month we attended a seminar put on by Green Madison to inform and educate homeowners and buyers on maintaining or increasing their own energy efficiency. They had some great takeaways, along with helpful energy saving tips for the everyday homeowner to implement on their own. We’ll touch on a few of those tips so you can get started before cool air becomes a hot commodity this summer.
Update Light Fixtures and Bulbs
Incandescent light loses 90% of its energy to heat, leaving approximately 10% actually being converted into light. New lighting options like light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) can save 50% to 75% more energy than incandescent lights. LEDs outweigh CFLs in their own right by lasting longer, having no moving parts, and containing no mercury. A simple switch from incandescent to LED or CFL light can make a noticeable impact.
Seal and Insulate
One of the easiest and most energy-efficient solutions for home comfort is making sure your home is properly insulated. Some common areas to check for leaks are:
- Electrical boxes
- Areas around pipes and wires
- Attic hatches
As a first step, we recommend starting with the attic. Plug the large holes, seal the small holes, and use weather stripping around the attic access panel. Check for large holes where walls meet the attic floor and behind/under attic knee walls. You can spot the small leaks by looking for darkened areas in your insulation, where dusty interior air gets filtered by the insulation before escaping.
Great Stuff™ is highly recommended and an industry standard for spray foam insulation. To learn more about the product, visit their website.
Doors and Windows
Keeping on the insulation theme, make sure your doors and windows are properly sealed. Check your window edges for gaps and cracks and seal with rope caulk—this is the cheapest and simplest solution. Weatherstripping can also be added to windows as a special lining inserted between the window and the frame. For doors, weatherstripping should be applied (or replaced, if worn out) around the entire perimeter. If one isn’t already in place, be sure to add a quality door sweep to the bottom. If windows need to be repaired or replaced, consider installing double- or triple-pane windows for further increased energy efficiency.
To get involved or learn more, visit www.greenmadison.org.
Continue To Follow Their Journey
Be sure to stop back and see what else Mitch and Carson and the Boom Brothers team have been up to. If you’d like to contact us in the meantime, give us a call or send us an email.