10 Energy-Smart Home Improvements
Just buy a new home? Here are 10 upgrades that can save you money on energy bills starting from day one. Although older homes usually will give you more opportunities for improving energy efficiency, many of these suggestions will work for just about any house. And some of them may save you money on state or federal taxes (check with your tax advisor) or qualify for assistance from your local utility.
1. Seal and insulate heating and cooling ducts
If ducts run through unheated areas of your home, such as attics and crawl spaces, you could be wasting up to 30 percent of your heating and cooling dollars. Use foil-faced tape (not duct tape) to seal the crimped-metal joints between duct sections, and consider an insulation wrap for ducts that run through unheated or uncooled spaces.
2. Plug air leaks throughout your home
The loss of heated and cooled air is one of the biggest energy robbers in most homes. To slow the leakage, replace worn weather-strip around windows and doors and caulk around openings where utility lines enter the house. Add foam gaskets under the cover plates of outlets and switches on exterior walls.
3. Beef up attic insulation
If your attic has exposed floor joists and you’re able to see them, you need more insulation — a minimum of 12 to 15 inches to achieve an R-38 rating — and even more if you live in the far north. Your local utility can tell you the recommended insulation ratings for your area.
4. Upgrade an older furnace and air conditioner
If your furnace is more than 15 years old (or your central-air unit more than 10), upgrading to an ENERGY STAR-qualified model could reduce your heating costs by 15 percent and your cooling costs by 20 percent. Regardless of the efficiency of your equipment, make sure it’s serviced regularly to stay in peak operating condition.
5. Buy energy-efficient appliances
Refrigerators especially can be energy hogs, but designs continue to improve. Today’s ENERGY STAR-qualified models could save as much as 50 percent of the energy consumed by a refrigerator that’s little more than 10 years old. If you’re not ready to replace an aging refrigerator, check the door seals to make sure they’re still tight. When you close a door on a dollar bill and it’s easily pulled out, it’s time to replace the seal.
6. Insulate your water heater and hot water pipes
The U.S. Department of Energy reports that water heaters can account for up to 25 percent of a home’s energy use. Installing an insulated tank jacket and wrapping hot water pipes with foam insulation may let you lower your heater’s temperature by 10 degrees and still get hot water from the tap sooner than you did before.
7. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents
The cost of compact fluorescent bulbs continues to decline, but they still outlast incandescents 10-to-1 while using about 75 percent less energy and generating 75 percent less heat. Because they take a little longer to get up to full illumination, they’re best for high-use areas of the house or anywhere you typically leave a light on for more than five minutes.
8. Install a programmable thermostat
These devices replace your regular thermostat and let you control the times that your furnace and air conditioner come on. Depending on your home routine, a programmable thermostat has the potential to shave $100 to $150 a year off your utility bills, easily paying for itself in just a few months.
9. Improve ventilation
A roof-mounted whole-house fan can cut air-conditioning costs by drawing cool air into the house in the evening hours. Even if you don’t want to install one of these fans, you should still make sure that your attic has plenty of ventilation to prevent the buildup of hot air on warm days.
10. Landscape to save energy
If you are planning to landscape anyway, consider how the choices you make will impact your home’s comfort and energy usage. Deciduous trees on the south side of your home provide shade in summer; in winter, they drop their leaves to let in warming sunshine. If you live in a cold climate, adding evergreens on the north side of your home can reduce energy losses caused by cold north winds.
Take the next step...
Know where to turn. Tap into your home's equity with a home equity loan or home equity line of credit from the Principal Financial Group.
