Efficient heating and cooling is a necessity if you’re looking for a way to save energy in your home as a whole. As a matter of fact, many people estimate that as much as 55% of home energy consumption relates to home heating and cooling, which means that it’s a necessity if you’re looking to manage your home’s energy-efficiency. Improving your thermal efficiency can impact your home’s total energy usage dramatically, which is exactly why it’s such an important element of saving energy.
Guide to Efficient Heating and Cooling Created By: Foundation Recovery Systems
Areas your home may be losing energy
Where are the most common energy vulnerabilities in a home? Every home is unique, which means your home’s energy vulnerabilities may not be the same as another home’s vulnerabilities. It’s extremely important that you take a look at all of these areas to see whether you’re losing energy through them.
- Duct Register
- Plumbing Vent Stack
- Vent Fan
- Dryer Vent
- Crawl Space
- Sill Plate
- Top Plate
- Duct Register
- Doors
- Windows
The best way to make sure you know more about your home’s potential losses of energy is to call in an expert. An expert will be able to see where your home is losing energy and give you more information about how to avoid the problem. If you don’t have targeted, unique approaches to your energy losses, you won’t be able to handle them appropriately.
Maximizing your home’s thermal performance
What can you really do to make your home’s thermal performance become even more effective? There are a few steps you can take that can produce genuine benefits in your home. Here are a few of those steps that you may want to consider.
- 20%: Crawl Space Insulation and Encapsulation
- 5-30%: Sealing Air Leaks With Caulk, Spray Foam, and Weather Stripping
- 12-33%: Installing Storm Windows
- 10%: Using a Programmable Thermostat to Use Less Energy While Sleeping
- 15%: Installing an EnergyStar Gas Furnace
As you can see, some of these steps may be more effective than others. It all depends on what you’re currently having problems with and what you might need to look for. That’s one reason that getting an expert in can be so beneficial overall. You’ll be able to target your problems with a much more effective option.
The true value of energy efficiency
Why might you want to invest into energy-efficient home options? There are a number of reasons that energy efficiency might be an important choice for you. Whether you’re doing it out of a love for the environment or just to keep a few extra dollars in your pocket, here are the most important elements of energy efficiency.
- Updates Can Pay for Themselves Over Time
- You May Be Able to Claim a Tax Credit for Home Insulation Costs
- Energy Efficiency Is Good for the Environment Overall
- Your Living Spaces May Be More Comfortable Overall
As you can see, energy efficiency is good for a variety of reasons. It’s easier on your pocketbook, better for the people who live with you, and has a positive impact on the environment to boot. There are all sorts of reasons you might choose to opt for more energy-efficient products and elements of home repair, so make sure you think about all of them when it comes to changing your home over.
Conclusion
As you can see, heating and cooling your home is something that can be a bit more of a process than you might have considered. There are all sorts of areas where heating and cooling can escape from the home and a variety of places where you might see a loss of energy, even if you think you’re using your energy appropriately. Make sure you talk to an expert to ensure that you’re using your energy as effectively as possible in your home.
