Energy-efficiency upgrades can help you and your two- and four-legged loved ones keep cool this summer.
Photo by Mark Gilliland, Pioneer Utility Resources
If you're unable to find relief from the summer heat in your own living room (miserable!) or you continually return to the thermostat on cold winter days, these are signs that your home needs an efficiency upgrade. A more efficient home not only helps you save energy but also helps you stay more comfortable.
No matter the home, energy efficiency upgrades often start with the same basic principle: Keep outside air from coming in and conditioned air from leaking out.
Insulation, air sealing, duct sealing and HVAC upgrades can dramatically improve the comfort of your home.
A fully insulated home—including attic, walls and floor—is most comfortable. Insulation is like a blanket for your home. But air sealing is a lesser-known efficiency upgrade that keeps air from entering and exiting through cracks and gaps. Some air sealing can be done from inside the home, such as using expanding foam around plumbing pipes and drains under sinks, adding gaskets to outlets on exterior walls, caulking around windows and weather stripping around doors.
Attics and crawlspaces are other places to manage air leakage and increase comfort. In the attic, seal gaps around top plates, open soffit areas, cove ceilings and balloon framing to help keep conditioned air where it belongs. In the basement or crawlspace, seal around plumbing pipes and drains, vents and electrical wires.
One of the first things I did when my husband and I bought our first home years ago was air seal and insulate the attic, walls and rim joists in the basement. The difference in comfort was instant. The temperature swings from the furnace cycling on and off were dramatically reduced. Our home felt cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Another benefit of insulation was a surprising reduction in noise from outside. We lived about 15 minutes from an airport and close to a busy road. When the windows and doors were closed, we could no longer hear the airplanes, and the traffic noise was almost unnoticeable.
Duct sealing can also improve your home's comfort. Your ductwork delivers heated or cooled air in a forced-air HVAC system. If there are disconnections or leaks in the ducts, the air you paid to heat or cool may not reach where you want it, leading to hot or cold spots in the home. An HVAC professional can inspect or test your ducts to make sure they are properly connected and sealed.
Air sealing and duct sealing can also improve your home's air quality. Air leakage between the conditioned area of the home and the attic or crawl space can introduce dust, pollen, mold and other allergens you don't want to breathe.
Upgrading to a heat pump can also boost comfort and efficiency. Heat pump technology can be about three times as efficient as electric resistance heating because it uses refrigerant to move heat rather than creating it. If you're upgrading from electric or gas heat, a heat pump can efficiently heat and cool your home, making it comfortable year-round.
If you already have a heat pump or any forced-air HVAC system, annual maintenance and regularly changing your filter maximize system operation and comfort.
Consider improving your home's comfort by completing these energy efficiency upgrades. Your family—and energy bills—will thank you.
Miranda Boutelle writes on energy efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing nearly 900 electric co-ops.