Insulating and sealing your home is perhaps the most cost effective step towards energy and money savings. A home owner can save around 10% on their annual energy bill and the best part is, there’s no need to hire a contractor because insulating and sealing your home is easy to do.

To ensure the biggest savings make sure your attic is well insulated as insulation helps prevent heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. The topic of insulation itself is difficult to cover thoroughly since different insulation has different R-values. The R-value is the measure of the insulation’s ability to resist heat flow. The higher the R-value, the higher the insulating characteristics of the material being used. In new homes the recommended R-value for attics is R-44 – R-50, R-38 is acceptable in most areas but if you live in an extremely cold climate R-49 is recommended. A good rule of thumb is to measure how deep the insulation is in your attic and if it’s not between 12-15 inches, then you will want to add more.

A staggering 10 – 25% of your heat and a/c is lost through your windows and doors. Cracks around your windows and doors are usually easy to find because you can feel a draft coming through or actually see the cracks. You should caulk all cracks around your windows and weather strip all the way around your exterior doors to eliminate these loses and make your home more efficient. While you’re at it, look in your attic, basement, and crawlspace for holes around flues and vents. These holes are a little harder to find but also contribute to heat loss and gain depending on the time of year. You will want to use either caulk or spray foam to eliminate these losses.

Additional Ways to Save

• Consider replacing single-pane windows with Energy Star qualified double-pane low-emissive windows to help cut down on heat transfer and ultraviolet light.
• Open drapes on your south-facing windows during the winter to let in natural light and heat. At night close all drapes and blinds in effort to reduce heat loss through your windows. Adversely, close all drapes on the south facing windows during hot summer days to prevent the sun from heating up your home.