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[H498]Home Energy Assistance Program

by Rick Chappo, Ric

Home Energy Audit – Fireplaces, Attics and More

The purpose of a home energy audit is to make your home more energy efficient. An energy efficient home is going to result in reduced utility bills now and for years to come. Depending on the size of your utility bill, auditing your home can save you thousands or tens of thousands of dollars over the years. While windows and doors are obvious energy waste locations, there are less obvious areas where you can lose a lot of heat.

Attics in a home are a great place to store you junk…err, valuable stuff. That attic, however, can be costing you big bucks. While most attics have insulation, they also have open-air vents to maintain circulation. Failing to circulate air in the attic can destroy roofing and the things in the attic.

Fortunately, the ceiling of your home has insulation to keep energy from escaping up through it into the attic. Still, most people defeat this insulation by failing to take a look at the entrance to the attic. If you have the proverbial “hole in the ceiling” entrance to the attic, how much heat or air conditioning is escaping through the gaps surrounding it into the attic and out the attic vents? Placing temporary seals around the edges of the entrance can immediately cut your heating or cooling costs by 25 percent.

Fireplaces offer a whole host of problems when it comes to regulating the temperature in a home. By definition, a fireplace is designed to move smoke out of a home by using the rising heat as a means of propulsion. The problem, of course, is when you aren't using the fireplace, it still conducts the hot air out of your home.

The first step in dealing with a fireplace is to make sure the flue is closed when not being used. If you leave it open, you might as well turn off the heat in your home because the heat is going to come out of your vents, cross the room and blow up and out of the fireplace. Obviously, that is a utility bill nightmare.

Energy audits are a must if you hope to fight off rising energy costs. Fortunately, common sense steps can save you a ton of money.

As energy prices rise, transportation isn't the only thing that becomes more expensive for members of society. Keeping your home cool or warm can also cost a pretty penny. As a result, homeowners are starting to make several different home improvements to increase their home's energy efficiency. These home improvements can include anything from installing new windows and heaters to automatic thermostats or more insulation.

Of all these changes, the one that will make the most difference for the lowest cost is probably insulation. Insulation is a great way to improve your home's ability to trap either heat or cool air. Consequently, whether you live in Canada or California insulation can make a huge difference in your utility bills. Unfortunately, most building codes only require a minimal amount of insulation which makes it easy for the air inside your home to exit through the roof, intersection points, and your walls. That's why almost every home could improve its energy efficiency with more insulation.

Ideally, you would speak with your contractor before your house is built about adding extra insulation. After all, it is much easier to install insulation before sheetrock goes up than it is to add it afterwards. However, thanks to the different kinds of insulation on the market, retrofitting your walls isn't as hard as most home owners believe. For example, a loose fill that can be sprayed into the walls through a small hole is easy to install and easy to clean up. With a little patch and paint, your walls will look as good as new and their will be better insulation throughout your home.

When you shop for insulation, look for a product that has a high R-value. The higher the R-value, the better it will be at insulating your home. You also have to pay attention to its size. For example, if your walls are only four inches thick, don't buy a roll of insulation that is five or six inches thick because compressing insulation will decrease its R-value. And finally, make sure you are buying a safe product that is easy to handle. Many kinds of insulation are easy to self-install, but a few products require professional skill.

If you have a larger budget, buying new windows or replacing the furnace and air conditioner are also good ways to improve a home's energy efficiency, but the most affordable place to start is definitely the insulation.

Article Source : Pg. 14

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Both Rick Chappo & Art Gib are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Rick Chappo has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Environment and Computers and The Internet. . Rick Chappo's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.

Art Gib has sinced written about articles on various topics from Supplements, Teachers and self improvement and motivation. For more information on and energy-saving tips visit Future Energy Corporation (. Art Gib's top article generates over 1830000 views. to your Favourites.