Cut Utilities Bills By Auditing Your Home
Most people are shocked these days when they open their utility
bill. By auditing your home, you can turn a monstrous utility
bill into a minor annoyance.
Home Energy Audit
It happens every month. You pick up the mail and see an envelope
from the utility company. Oh, the agony! Should I open it now
and ruin the day or just wait. An energy audit can make the pain
of getting your utility bill go away or at least become a dull
ache.
Unlike a tax audit, you can conduct an energy audit by yourself.
Simply walking through your home and paying close attention to
energy issues can really pay off. Let's take a look at some
obvious problems that can save you a bundle.
The number one energy waster is a leak. Much like a leak in the
tire of a care, even one leak from the interior to exterior of
the home can raise your utility bill by as much as 30 percent.
The most common area you will find such leaks are windows and
doors.
Windows and doors are undisputedly the area where most air leaks
occurs. The first issues is whether air is actually leaking out
through the framing of windows or the area around the bottom of
the door. You can typically tell this by feeling for a notable
temperature difference in these areas. If is significantly
cooler, you have a leak.
As people in cold climates know, having sealed windows is simply
not enough to control heating costs in the winter. Most windows
on homes are designed for year around use, which makes them huge
energy wasters in the winter. Going with energy-efficient
windows can make a huge difference in keeping the heat in and
the cold out.
If you've walked through your home and haven't found any
significant problems with your windows and doors, you may still
have one. To really give your home an efficiency test, you can
hire contractors to perform a pressurization test. The test
essentially raises the pressure in your home and looks for leaks.
Fixing any leaks you find will depend entirely upon the nature
of the problem. Some fixes only require additional caulking or
insulation while others are unique. Regardless, making your home
more energy efficient will significantly cut your utility bill
this year and for years to come.