As the owner of an existing home, there are many things you can do to
increase the overall efficiency of your home. Many of the following
ideas are relatively inexpensive and can be done most homeowners, with
minimal skill required, while some of the upgrades are more costly and
may require hiring a general contractor.
Many older homes don't have insulation in the exterior walls, with
minimal insulation, if any, in the attic. Since warm air is less dense
than cool air, the warm air inside your home rises and escapes through
the ceiling and rooftop by heat transfer.
Adding insulation to the attic of your home can result in significant
energy savings, depending on the current R-value of your attic insulation.
Insulation can also be added to the exterior walls of your home by
drilling holes between the studs at various vertical heights and blowing
in the insulation; when the cavity is filled a plastic cap seals the
opening. Nu-Wool Insulation
was used to insulate the Purple House on Fulton, reducing the natural gas usage from 345 CCF in
December 2006 to 85 CCF in a similarly cold December 2007. This resulted
in a 75% reduction in home heating for the month of December.
FIGURE 1: Students work on the back side of the house. One student
holds a board over an upper hole while the student next to him pumps
insulation in below.
Replacing your windows and exterior
doors with energy efficient models
can significantly reduce infiltration, or air movement, resulting in
less demand for heating and cooling. At a minimum look for
Energy
Star qualified windows and doors; while other models may cost less
initially, the savings on monthly utility bills will eventually offset
the additional initial cost. As a low cost alternative to replacing
all your windows and exterior doors, calk around existing windows to
seal any air leaks and add weather stripping to exterior doors. Use
window treatments to block the sun's rays during the summer months,
while allowing them to pass through during the winter.
Other things to consider while making your existing home more efficient
include replacing old worn out appliances with energy efficient appliances
(Energy Star rated). Electrical appliances, such as dryers and ranges,
cost twice as much to operate as a comparable gas version; replacing and
old electric dryer with an energy efficient gas model could net even more
savings. If your home is equipped with an electric
hot water heater,
consider switching to a natural gas model. The Green House on Watson was
initially built with an electric hot water heater, but with a large family
living in the home, the resulting electric bill due to hot water usage led
to the recent switch to a natural gas hot water heater. Watch for updates
in the Home Performance section on how the switch affects both
natural gas and
electric usage.
Note that many of the things that apply to new homes could also apply to
existing homes. Replace incandescent light bulbs with the new compact
fluorescent bulbs for added longevity and to reduce your electric bill.
Install a programmable thermostat to adjust the interior temperature of
your home when you are gone, or to lower the temperature while sleeping
during the winter months. Use landscaping to create windbreaks or to
provide shade during the summer months, allowing the sun to pass through
during the winter. Increasing the energy efficiency of your existing home
can significantly lower your monthly utility bills or lead to considerable
tax credits, while reducing your overall impact on the environment in which
we live.
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