There are numerous ways to help your home become more energy efficient. Purchasing appliances that are ENERGY STAR certified, replacing your windows, and sealing cracks that create air infiltration within your home. The quickest way, however, is to start at the top.
According to Clayton Morris, of DPIS Engineering, the cheapest and simplest way to increase efficiency is to take care of the attic.
“I grew up poor, so when I would work on a car, I started with the cheapest part first, but I also started with something I could access,” he said. “On your home, what I look at is what is the easiest thing to access without tearing things up?”
Top Three Things
Morris said the first thing homeowners need to do is get the sun’s heat off the house, which assists in lowering energy usage in the home. There are three items to focus on: radiant barrier, attic insulation, and sealing the duct system in your attic.
“Those three things alone can drastically save you a lot of money on you utility bill,” he said.
Morris recommends using UL listed sealants, which any HVAC contractor should use, to seal the attic. He said that many new homes, some built even within the past 10 to 15 years, leak 20 to 30 cents on the dollar in energy.
“That money just stays in the attic,” he said.
Test Your Attic
The way to ensure you aren’t losing money through your attic is to test the house by going through every joint, gap, transition, and all around the seams of the furnace. Morris said the best way to seal the seams and ducts is to paint brush a fiber impregnated mastic on it.
Sealing the attic, as well as using a radiant barrier, like HeatBloc Ultra, and insulating the attic, or reinsulating the attic, should take care of any problems you have been dealing with regarding high energy costs.
