housemagglass_smENERGY EFFICIENCY
  
Home Inspections can reveal some of the energy leaks in a home.  Peace of Mind Home Inspections always looks for the obvious energy leaks even though a home inspection is not an energy audit / inspection Unfortunately, sometimes the older the home the higher the potential for  lots of drafts exist, which result in high energy bills. What are the best, fastest-payback ways to make a home more energy efficient?

The energy saving improvements that follow, in order from most to least effective, will pay back the quickest:

Seal up all heat leaking holes and cracks in the attic floor with foam caulk.

    • Insulate the attic floor.
    • Insulate the attic access.
    • Repair the weather stripping around all windows and doors.
    • Install a setback thermostat that’s programmable.
    • Replace single pane windows with either low-e glazing or argon gas-filled windows.
    • Install foam-core insulated entry doors.
    • Replace the furnace or heat pump if it’s more than 10 years old.
    • Replace an old, inefficient refrigerator or freezer.

 

Depending on the severity of the climate and how poorly insulated the house is, it will ta ke 3 to 15 years for you to get a return on most of these improvements. Energy savings can be as high as 50 percent in a few cases. But even with lower savings, you’ll increase the comfort level and resale value of your home and help protect the environment by lowering your carbon foot print.

However, remember that buttoning up a house too tight can be dangerous. If gas furnaces, ranges and other combustion appliances don’t draft properly, it can cause toxic fumes to be drawn back into the house by an exhaust fan or even a change in wind direction.