What’s most important to you as a homeowner? Saving money on utilities is likely high on the list – particularly your energy bill. There are many ways your house could be wasting power. Only by determining what those ways are can you fix them.
Here are some things you can do to measure and improve your home energy efficiency.
- Check for air leaks. One of your home’s biggest consumers of energy is your HVAC system. If that conditioned air is able to leak out, then the system will have to run longer to heat or cool your house, using more energy. Check for air leaks around light switches and outlets, near baseboards, and around the edges of windows and doors. Make sure they’re properly sealed to keep good air in and bad air out.
- Check for duct leaks. Sometimes, air from your HVAC system leaks out before it even reaches your home. Leaky ductwork can decrease your system’s airflow, again wasting energy. Look for small holes, tears, and other damage to your ducts, and repair them with metal tape or mastic sealant.
- Check your insulation. Both in the summer and winter, insulation helps improve your energy efficiency. In winter, it keeps warm air from escaping your home, into the attic. In the summer, it keeps the warm air in the attic and the cool air in your house. Insulation can settle over time, though, so check your attic to see if you need to add more.
- Get a home energy evaluation. The best way to check your home energy efficiency is to have a professional look at it. An HVAC technician can perform a series of tests to determine where you’re wasting energy. With the blower door test, all the air is sucked out of your home, and infrared sensors are used to see where air is leaking in. They’ll also check your windows to see if they have low emissivity coatings to reduce heat transfer.
For more tips on improving your home energy efficiency, contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company. We’re Yuma’s trusted source for quality home comfort solutions.
