Benefits of Green Homes
They are:
More affordable month after month
They are healthier for your family
They are more comfortable
The materials are more durable
They require less maintenance
They have higher resale value (if you ever want to sell it!)
They provide peace of mind
And, by the way, they are much kinder on the environment
What does that mean?
Energy prices are unpredictable today and will become even more so in the future. Climate change is upon us, whether it warms our local weather or cools it off, weird weather is everywhere on the planet. Climate change really means that local weather will be more severe, and unpredictable events like floods and droughts will last longer and be more intense, hurricanes will become more frequent and generally the weatherman will have a harder time telling us what is to come.
Futureproofing is just another name for good green building. It is particularly important if you plan to stay in your house for many years to come. Our contemporary homes were designed with the assumption that energy would stay cheap. We know now that that assumption is costing a lot of money every month.
Every home is different but what we know is that very few homes in the US are sufficiently insulated or draft proofed. That means there is tremendous opportunity for virtually every home in America to reduce their utility bills.The myth is that it is too expensive to retrofit your home, so why bother? The truth is that there are many things that can be done over a weekend for less than $1,000 dollars.
Let’s start at the beginning.
1) The typical home in this country loses 25% of it heat (or cooling) from what’s called infiltration. We experience infiltration as drafts. Every penetration through the skin of the house or the envelope allows outside air into the house. This includes doors, windows, hose bibs, the electrical service entrance (where the circuit breaker lives) and any other hole in the envelope that allows air to be exchanged. So here is the checklist of where to start:• Weatherstrip all operable windows and doors• Caulk around hose bibs and at the electrical service entrance• Look carefully for any other penetrations and seal them• Look at where the siding meets the foundation. Expandable foam is great for large holes or gaps• Investigate from the outside in and the inside out
You will be surprised at how many holes you find!
Attic Insulation
2) Go up into the attic. It may be the first time you’ve been there. Wear a dust mask and old clothes because it will be dusty and dirty. Be careful to only step on the wood ceiling joists and not on drywall underneath and fall through. Bring a bright flashlight because you might not be able to get very far if there are trusses or other obstructions. Bring a straight ruler or a tape measure. Measure the depth of your insulation. If it is less that a foot deep you are ready for more. If you have loose insulation, look to see if it is evenly spread out over the ceiling. If not, you can use a leaf rake to even it out. Attic insulation is one of the easiest things to do to save a lot of energy.
Windows
3) Take a close look at your windows. Are they single glazed? Are they wood, metal or vinyl? Do you have storm windows? Do you use them? No matter what type of window you have you lose up to 10 times more heat through them than through your walls. If you have single glazed windows your home is a good candidate for replacement windows. Any other type of window is a candidate for storm windows. This puts another layer of dead air space between you and the outside. Dead air space is what makes any insulation work.
Storm windows are less expensive that window replacements. If you are on a tight budget look for indoor plastic storms. These come in rolls from the hardware store and are literally like shrink wrap. To install them, put double sided tape around the edges of the window, cut the plastic to fit, stick it to the tape, and blow hot air on the plastic (with a hairdryer) until it shrinks to fit. Simple. This layer can be pulled off in the spring when you want to open the window.
Water Heater
4) Go on a basement adventure with your kids. Look at your water heater. How old is it? Can’t remember? Buy a water heater jacket from your local hardware store. It is a fiberglass and vinyl jacket that wraps around the tank just like putting on a jacket on a cold day. It helps keep the water in the tank warm and saves energy.
Carefully touch the pipes coming out the top of the water heater. One will be hot the other cold. Get some pipe insulation and wrap the hot water pipe as far as you can, anywhere it is exposed. It also helps to wrap the cold water pipe the first 6 feet from the water heater. This keeps water from circulating through the house when you don’t want it to.
Air Ducts
5) If you have forced air heating, look at the ducts in the basement. They are typically sheet metal (depending on the age of the house). They can be square or round. When the furnace is on, run your hand along the ducts, especially where they are joined together or change direction. You will probably feel hot air leaking. That means it is not getting to where you want it to go. Buy a can of non-toxic, water-based mastic and with a small brush coat the places where you find leaks. This works much better than duct tape. It is preferable to coat every joint in the ductwork where ever you can reach from the basement.
Lighting
6) Walk around the house and count all the lamps and recessed light fixtures in the house. Think about the fact that if you replaced one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb it will save the equivalent amount of energy as driving your car from coast to coast. Hmmmm. How many bulbs did you count? Go buy a few packages of compact fluorescent bulbs and replace them. It might take some time to get used to the change in light quality but you will accommodate to it. If you don’t like it after a while, go to a lighting store and buy compact fluorescent bulbs that have a warmer light, more like the incandescent color.
In less than a weekend you’ve just saved 20-25% on your utility bill and made your house more comfortable at the same time.
Energy prices are unpredictable today and will become even more so in the future. Climate change is upon us, whether it warms our local weather or cools it off, weird weather is everywhere on the planet. Climate change really means that local weather will be more severe, and unpredictable events like floods and droughts will last longer and be more intense, hurricanes will become more frequent and generally the weatherman will have a harder time telling us what is to come.
Futureproofing is just another name for good green building. It is particularly important if you plan to stay in your house for many years to come. Our contemporary homes were designed with the assumption that energy would stay cheap. We know now that that assumption is costing a lot of money every month.
Every home is different but what we know is that very few homes in the US are sufficiently insulated or draft proofed. That means there is tremendous opportunity for virtually every home in America to reduce their utility bills.The myth is that it is too expensive to retrofit your home, so why bother? The truth is that there are many things that can be done over a weekend for less than $1,000 dollars.
Let’s start at the beginning.
1) The typical home in this country loses 25% of it heat (or cooling) from what’s called infiltration. We experience infiltration as drafts. Every penetration through the skin of the house or the envelope allows outside air into the house. This includes doors, windows, hose bibs, the electrical service entrance (where the circuit breaker lives) and any other hole in the envelope that allows air to be exchanged. So here is the checklist of where to start:• Weatherstrip all operable windows and doors• Caulk around hose bibs and at the electrical service entrance• Look carefully for any other penetrations and seal them• Look at where the siding meets the foundation. Expandable foam is great for large holes or gaps• Investigate from the outside in and the inside out
You will be surprised at how many holes you find!
Attic Insulation
2) Go up into the attic. It may be the first time you’ve been there. Wear a dust mask and old clothes because it will be dusty and dirty. Be careful to only step on the wood ceiling joists and not on drywall underneath and fall through. Bring a bright flashlight because you might not be able to get very far if there are trusses or other obstructions. Bring a straight ruler or a tape measure. Measure the depth of your insulation. If it is less that a foot deep you are ready for more. If you have loose insulation, look to see if it is evenly spread out over the ceiling. If not, you can use a leaf rake to even it out. Attic insulation is one of the easiest things to do to save a lot of energy.
Windows
3) Take a close look at your windows. Are they single glazed? Are they wood, metal or vinyl? Do you have storm windows? Do you use them? No matter what type of window you have you lose up to 10 times more heat through them than through your walls. If you have single glazed windows your home is a good candidate for replacement windows. Any other type of window is a candidate for storm windows. This puts another layer of dead air space between you and the outside. Dead air space is what makes any insulation work.
Storm windows are less expensive that window replacements. If you are on a tight budget look for indoor plastic storms. These come in rolls from the hardware store and are literally like shrink wrap. To install them, put double sided tape around the edges of the window, cut the plastic to fit, stick it to the tape, and blow hot air on the plastic (with a hairdryer) until it shrinks to fit. Simple. This layer can be pulled off in the spring when you want to open the window.
Water Heater
4) Go on a basement adventure with your kids. Look at your water heater. How old is it? Can’t remember? Buy a water heater jacket from your local hardware store. It is a fiberglass and vinyl jacket that wraps around the tank just like putting on a jacket on a cold day. It helps keep the water in the tank warm and saves energy.
Carefully touch the pipes coming out the top of the water heater. One will be hot the other cold. Get some pipe insulation and wrap the hot water pipe as far as you can, anywhere it is exposed. It also helps to wrap the cold water pipe the first 6 feet from the water heater. This keeps water from circulating through the house when you don’t want it to.
Air Ducts
5) If you have forced air heating, look at the ducts in the basement. They are typically sheet metal (depending on the age of the house). They can be square or round. When the furnace is on, run your hand along the ducts, especially where they are joined together or change direction. You will probably feel hot air leaking. That means it is not getting to where you want it to go. Buy a can of non-toxic, water-based mastic and with a small brush coat the places where you find leaks. This works much better than duct tape. It is preferable to coat every joint in the ductwork where ever you can reach from the basement.
Lighting
6) Walk around the house and count all the lamps and recessed light fixtures in the house. Think about the fact that if you replaced one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb it will save the equivalent amount of energy as driving your car from coast to coast. Hmmmm. How many bulbs did you count? Go buy a few packages of compact fluorescent bulbs and replace them. It might take some time to get used to the change in light quality but you will accommodate to it. If you don’t like it after a while, go to a lighting store and buy compact fluorescent bulbs that have a warmer light, more like the incandescent color.
In less than a weekend you’ve just saved 20-25% on your utility bill and made your house more comfortable at the same time.
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