IS YOUR HOME LEAKING ENERGY
DOLLARS?
erhaps your home wasnt built using todays
high-quality, energy-efficient products or techniques. Perhaps previous
occupants never took take care of problems -- and your heating and cooling
bills are higher than youd like. Where might energy be flowing from your
home?
It might be going out the window -- literally.
Some homes have enough leaks around its windows and doors to equal one open
three foot by three foot window! Check your homes first line of defense
against the elements -- the roof, walls, floors, windows, and doors. It pays to
deal with air leaks first to get the maximum savings from your heating and
cooling systems and other energy-efficiency measures.
Power$mart
Tips
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Appropriate insulation for your climate
(based on R-ratings) can increase your comfort and reduce your heating and
cooling costs up to 30 percent. Start with attic insulation, followed by
exterior and basement walls, floors, and crawl spaces. |
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If youre shopping for new windows,
glass doors, or skylights, look for the Energy Star. Todays
high-efficiency windows are 40 percent more energy efficient than standard,
less efficient ones and can improve heating and cooling energy savings by some
15 percent. Special low-e (emissivity) coatings greatly reduce the amount of
heat that flows through glass so there isnt as much heat lost in winter
or gained in summer. www.efficientwindows.org |
Energy Consciousness
Tips
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Find and plug those leaks. Just wet your
fingertips and run them around the door or window frame to feel a draft -- or
hold up a tissue and see if it waves. Seal leaks between moving parts (between
door and its frame) with weatherstripping. Fill leaks between non-moving parts
(between window frame and wall) with caulking. |
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Install storm windows or double-paned
windows if you only have single-pane windows. If you have older or leaky
windows that you cant replace, consider temporary fixes, such as plastic
films kits that create the effect of an interior storm window, or low-e
retrofit film. |
Its A Fact Double-pane windows with low-e coating can reduce heating bills by
34 percent in cold climates compared to uncoated, single-pane windows. In hot
climates, spectrally selective low-e windows can cut cooling costs by 38
percent.
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