Any homeowner could tell a story or two about how expensive it can be to heat an inefficient home in freezing tri-state winters. Whether you live in Westchester County, NY or Fairfield County, CT, there’s a very good chance that your home is inefficient, which can cost you hundreds of dollars in unnecessarily high monthly utility bills.
There’s no better time to boost your home’s efficiency and enjoy lower energy bills than right now! Home efficiency upgrades can improve your home’s comfort year-round.
Are You Wasting 30% of Your Heating Bill?
Though losing 30% of the heat your heating and cooling system generates may sound shockingly high, it’s an unfortunate, yet common, reality for an inefficient home. Symptoms of energy loss can include:
High heating bills
Chilly floorboards in the morning
Drafts throughout your home
Uneven temperatures from room to room
Ice dam problems on your roof
How Does Heat Escape Your Home?
It’s important to limit points of weakness in your home’s building envelope to prevent inefficiency and costly energy waste, because heat can escape from every part of your house that is under-insulated or has small holes and gaps. This where services like performance-based air sealing and insulation come in to help you enjoy a more comfortable, cost-effective home.
Here are some of the most common spots for heat loss. When was the last time you had any of these checked by a home performance professional?
Attic
Because of an air movement pattern called the chimney effect, it is very common for homes to lose warm, healthy, conditioned indoor air through the attic, especially in very cold winter weather when you need heat most!
By adding spray foam insulation or loose cellulose to your attic, you can enjoy a significant increase in overall attic insulation, and there will be fewer gaps to allow air to escape through. There are several types of spray foam insulation, and the Healthy Home Specialists can help you choose the best option to suit your home’s needs.
Recessed Lighting
Hold a hand up to a recessed light on a cold day and there’s a good chance you’ll be able to feel cold air infiltrating into your home. While this might not seem like enough to worry about, any air leakage means that your heating system will have to work harder to keep your conditioned air healthy and comfortable, and these weak points can add up!
Exterior Doors & Windows
It’s easy for a professional team to reduce heat loss and improve your home’s indoor air quality by air sealing around your windows and exterior doors. Many homeowners notice an immediate difference in the comfort of their living areas!
Walls
Adding cellulose insulation to your home’s exterior walls (and sometimes even interior walls!) can make a surprising difference in the comfort of your home. Healthy Home technicians have the tools and expertise to help you discover where in your walls insulation will serve you best.
Ductwork
If you’ve been relying on duct tape to seal air leaks in your ductwork, consider a more effective solution to maintain your home’s energy efficiency!
Unsealed and uninsulated ductwork, especially in your attic, basement, or crawl space, can lead to major energy loss for your home. This is frustrating because once air is in your supply ducts, it means you’ve already spent money on energy to condition it! Put a stop to leaky ducts with air duct sealing from the Healthy Home professionals.
Basements & Crawl Spaces
Basements and crawl spaces are well-known culprits in the battle against inefficiency. These spaces often allow cold air in, and can even be prone to moisture! You likely have insufficient insulation if you deal with cold floors even when the heat is blasting.
Even worse, basements and crawl spaces are infamously damp, which can provide a lovely home for unhealthy mold and mildew growth. Consider adding spray foam insulation to keep temperatures in and moisture out.
With a new understanding of common points of inefficiency for homes in Yonkers and beyond, you might be feeling motivated to put an end to your rising heating and cooling costs.
A Healthy Home Evaluation (also sometimes referred to as an energy audit) is the ideal place to start. This comprehensive assessment of your home will allow our expert technicians to learn about your home’s efficiency limitations. We’ll then generate a report offering healthy home solutions so you can make an informed decision on where to start in the pursuit of resolving costly, uncomfortable, and even unhealthy efficiency issues in your home.
Schedule your Healthy Home Evaluation today! Call 914-242-9733 or contact us online now.
