If your like me, you are always trying to find ways to save money. I always do the little things, like making sure I turn the light off when I leave a room, putting my computer at the best Power Saving settings and some other simpler energy saving methods to keep my bills low.
However, I know that I can be, most likely, running more efficient. I found a useful tool on the Energy Star Website that allows you to, with a little bit of information about your home, find out how you measure up when it comes to efficiency. It's called the "Home Energy Yardstick"
Here is the first of a series of videos that we will be showcasing every week on the ECI Comfort Website. We hope to not only show you the services that we offer, but to share great tips to help you improve the comfort of your home. This week we feature a video of a Home Assessment that ECI Comfort performed at the Morgan residence in the Parkwood section of Philadelphia.
Growing up, we were always told to put on a cap in the winter – we lose most of the heat from our bodies from our heads – same thing with your home. Protecting the top of our homes during the winter is like putting on a warm cap.
Our homes act like a big chimney, the taller the home, the greater movement of air, which is called stack effect.
Windows are a very important part of our lives - they allow us to see what is going on in the world, they let in sunshine, and they light our houses so we don’t have to use electricity during the day. We need windows.
But they are a mixed blessing. They have very low insulation values so they cost us a lot more than a plain wall would cost to heat and cool. Also, this low R-value means the surface is cold so we can feel cool standing next to them, and they have a lot of moving parts, which means they can leak air.
According to studies, leaky duct work increases total cooling and heating energy usage by as much as 30%. That’s 30 cents out of every $1 you pay in energy bills. Over the course of a year, this can add up to hundreds of wasted dollars.
In typical homes, air leaks are often found at cracks, small holes, and penetrations for plumbing, wiring, lighting, and ductwork. Together, these leaks can add up to as
much air loss as having an open window! It’s easy to imagine how this can increase a homeowner’s utility bills and reduce comfort.
Sealing a home’s envelope—its exterior walls, ceiling, and floors—is an important step in controlling the indoor environment and lowering energy bills. The goal is to reduce air leakage as much as possible, while providing ventilation as needed for fresh air. In other words, “build it tight and ventilate it right.”
Which season is better; wintertime or summertime? It’s a comfort based debate that you likely have a strong opinion on. Your biology, memories and hobby preferences help you form that opinion. Living in the northeast, we get to experience both extremes every year. Hot - cold. Ying - yang. But, if you look at the big picture, you’ll find that one of these extremes holds a significant advantage over the other. When it comes to your home, just like in the universe, heat is constantly being lost.
