Another cold winter is upon us – icy air is sneaking in under your doors and once again your bathroom is freezing in the morning. And this isn’t the right time for those energy bills to be paid, what with all the other expenses this year. What can be done?
You’ve heard talk about caulking and new windows. You know there are tax credits that are available for some of those things but how do you know what to do and in what order?
That’s when an “energy audit” either done by yourself or a professional, is useful.
What is an energy audit? It’s a careful analysis of how and where your house is using (and often wasting) energy. It can be as simple as working through an easy checklist on your own to a more complex and thorough examination of your home with state-of-the-art analysis tools, such as a blower door and a thermal camera.
So let’s start with what you can do yourself.
An easy first step is to walk around your house when it’s cold outside and feel with your hand for any cold air leaks – check inside cabinets too as often there are plumbing fixtures that aren’t sealed well and cold air leaks in around them. If you see spiderwebs that’s a good place to check – spiders like to spin their webs in drafty places where there is air movement to catch insects. Make a note of all the drafty places so that you can go back and seal those leaks.
Walk around and check your heating vents if you have forced air heat. Is there furniture blocking any of them? This will really affect the quality of your heating system. And when did you last change the filter? If you have forced air heat a simple programmable thermostat can save you a lot of money if you program it to turn down when you are not at home or when you are sleeping.
If you have heating ducts that are in an attic or crawlspace that is not heated, they should be checked. Seal all the joints with duct mastic and insulate them – there are big energy savings to be had here! And you can also save money by insulating your hot water heater and pipes – be careful you don’t insulate near the gas vent and burner however.
Fireplaces without dampers suck huge amounts of heat out of your house. Either arrange to get the damper fixed or buy a “chimney pillow”, which is a re-usable inflatable pillow that you put in your chimney. If you start a fire by mistake it disintegrates, so it’s safe too.
Do you have recessed can lights? Older recessed lights leak enormous amounts of heat. You may not feel comfortable replacing them yourself, but put them on a to-do list for later.
Skylights are also often very leaky. Sealing around the edges can stop warm air leaking out. Replacing skylights for more insulating types is an option too but usually there are cheaper things you can do in your home first that will give more energy savings for less money.
Like skylights, windows are often far more expensive to change out than the energy you will save by doing so. However, if your windows are single-pane with metal frames you will definitely feel a lot more comfortable with new windows. Windows, doors and skylights all qualify for federal tax credits but make sure that you are indeed buying qualifying items. Go to the Energy Star website to check. If your windows are newer but you still feel cold when you are near them, consider putting insulating blinds up in the ones that you particularly notice. You’ll feel warmer near them.
Now for some things that won’t really change how comfortable you are in your home but WILL save you money and energy.
What type of lighting do you have? Compact florescent lights really do save you a lot of electricity and now you can buys bulbs that don’t flicker and do have a nice warm color like the light bulbs you’re used to. Try buying ones rated at 2700 K and start with just one or two until you find exactly which you like most. And if you have outside lights consider using motion sensors on them.
We use a lot of energy with electronic items that are always on – you can tell which they are by walking around your house at night and looking for the glowing lights. These should either be turned off when not in use or put on a “smart strip”, a newer power strip that turns off items when they are not being used.
Is your refrigerator more than 15 years old? Newer models are much more energy efficient and will quickly pay for themselves if you replace them. There may well be a “cash for old appliances” program this winter that you can take advantage of (ask your local appliance store to notify you when it happens) and PNM will pay you to come and take away your old refrigerator! Also, front loading washing machines will save energy AND water. The City of Santa Fe will give you a $100 rebate if you buy an energy efficient model.
If your boiler or furnace is very old, now might be the time to consider replacing it. Newer models use a lot less energy and are a lot safer. Ask a professional about sealed combustion units which exhaust all the gasses directly outside. More efficient models qualify for a federal tax credit – see the Energy Star website.
Lastly a few safety checks – do you have smoke detectors that work? And if you have any gas appliances you should have a carbon monoxide detector – they only cost around $30 and you’ll be a lot safer. And if you have a gas stove without an exhaust fan you really need a CO detector!
A professional energy auditor will do all these checks for you plus a lot more that also take into account your health and safety. Using equipment such as a blower door and a thermal camera, an energy auditor can more directly pinpoint air leaks and areas where insulation may be missing. And the blower door also gives an excellent indication of the ventilation needs for your home. As you seal your house up, less of your expensively heated air is leaving your house, but now you may not be getting enough fresh air. Providing true fresh air through measured ventilation is much healthier than relying on “fresh” air that leaks into your house past that dead mouse in the crawl space or the pollen-filled chamisa bush. An energy auditor can recommend inexpensive ways to make sure your house has good indoor air quality.
Another byproduct of making your house more energy efficient is that you may make it so tight that leaky gas appliances that were never a problem are now a concern with back-drafting and gas spillage. Many energy auditors can do simple combustion checks to ensure that your appliances are safe once all your air leaks have been taken care of.
And energy auditors are trained to understand how to prioritize any work that needs to be done so you know you are doing the most cost-effective work first, with the best energy savings.
Whether you choose to go it alone or hire a professional, you can save money and save energy this winter. Why not start now?
