Upgrading single-pane windows to double-panes and installing energy-efficient window coverings will improve your home’s value and reduce energy bills. Photo courtesy Hunter Douglas

A home energy audit uses a “blower door” (pictured above) to pinpoint wasteful leaks that affect a home’s energy efficiency. Photo courtesy The Energy Conservatory

Photo courtesy Dow Chemical Co.

Photo by Tad Denson

Photo by Andrey Chmelyov

Photo by Lisa C. McDonald

Photo by Denisenko

Photo courtesy Ecofutures Building, Inc.

Photo courtesy Ecofutures Building, Inc.

Photo by Steve Yager

save energy, save the environment

With soaring gas and electricity costs, who can afford to waste energy? (In good conscience, who would want to?) Here are 11 simple ways to improve a home’s energy efficiency.

by Nate Burger

Green building is about creating a better future for everyone. It’s also about smart building, as it makes our homes more durable, efficient and comfortable. This not only helps the environment, it results in energy savings for homeowners.

As we head into Colorado’s colder months, here are 11 “green” ideas that will help improve your home’s efficiency. Some require the aid of professionals; others you can do yourself.

Perform a home energy audit

When you hike in winter, you probably wear a shell to protect you from the elements and fleece to insulate you from the outside temperature. Your home is no different. Siding protects it from the weather, and insulation prevents warm inside air from escaping through the walls.

Older houses typically leak a lot of air, making them more expensive to heat and cool. A home energy audit can determine the source of those leaks and suggest ways to correct them. During the audit, a technician uses a “blower door” apparatus to literally suck air out your front door to pinpoint unseen gaps and penetrations.

A home energy audit also evaluates insulation levels, combustion appliances, window efficiency, hot water pipes, the furnace, air conditioning and other items. After the audit is complete, the technician will recommend ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency, based on its individual needs. If you get a home energy audit, make sure the technician is certified through the “Home Performance with Energy Star®” program.

Seal your home

If you perform an energy audit, you’ll know where you’re losing energy. If you don’t, start by caulking leaks around doors and windows. Then check ductwork in your crawl space to make sure the supply side is insulated, which will keep the air warm until it reaches its destination. Also, seal any large gaps spilling out air.

Add insulation

Attic insulation is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce your winter heating bill and keep your house cooler in summer. Blown cellulose insulation—made from recycled newspapers treated with a fire retardant—is eco-friendly and easily installed by professionals in a day’s time. Because of gaps between rolls, fiberglass insulation—the pink insulation common in most homes—will not block airflow as efficiently as blown-in cellulose.

If you can afford it, blown foam is the “Cadillac” of insulation and the most energy-efficient choice on the market. Generally, air passes through other types of insulation, but not blown foam. So this material seals, as well as insulates.

Install a programmable thermostat

This is a terrific way to improve a home’s comfort level, and also reduce your energy bill. It allows you to program the home’s temperature for different times of the day, and even accounts for weekends. In winter, you can program the house to be cooler when you go to bed, heat up a bit before you rise, cool down when you’re at work, and warm up before you return home. You won’t notice the temperature fluctuations, but you will notice savings on your energy bill.

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs

You may know about these, but I bet many of you still use incandescent bulbs. CFLs use one-third the energy of incandescent bulbs, and last up to 10 times longer. They also produce less heat because more energy is converted into light. Instead of telling yourself, “I’ll replace the regular bulbs when they burn out,” consider that each CFL in your home saves about $75 over its life span—even more as energy prices continue to rise.

Replace older windows

If you have single-pane aluminum windows, there’s not much you can do to make them efficient, since they conduct heat and cold rather than insulate. Your best, albeit expensive, option is to replace them with new double-pane windows. Choose a brand with a low-emissivity coating to reduce the transmission of radiant heat through the pane. Before you buy, “Google” the words “passive solar” on the Internet to learn about other energy-saving retrofits you can do in conjunction with your new windows.

Service heating and cooling systems

Have a professional conduct a yearly maintenance call to ensure they’re burning efficiently and not producing high levels of carbon monoxide. Regularly replace the furnace filter with a high-efficiency filter.

Upgrade to a high-efficiency furnace

An older furnace is only 70- to 80-percent efficient. Replacing it with a new 90-percent-efficient furnace (those with a SEER rating of 13 or higher) saves a considerable amount of energy. An added bonus: Unlike older models, efficient furnaces feature sealed combustion, virtually eliminating the carbon monoxide buildup that an older unit may be producing.

Install a ceiling fan

If you have a cathedral ceiling, you’re paying to heat its highest reaches. Instead, use a ceiling fan to circulate warm air downward into your living space.

Insulate the hot water heater

You’re paying to heat water in the tank, so why not cover it with an insulating blanket? While you’re at it, turn down the hot water temperature gauge. This will save energy and still provide you with enough hot water for your needs. Also, insulate the hot water pipes that run through unheated spaces to keep the water hotter longer. Then you won’t have to run the faucet as long while waiting for the water to heat up.

Buy Energy Star® appliances

New Energy Star® refrigerators and washing machines save money. How? Heating water in a washing machine accounts for about 85 percent of the energy use per load of laundry. Energy Star® front-loading washers use about one-third the water, saving money on both energy and water bills.

Additionally, the spin cycle rotates nearly twice as fast, resulting in drier clothes and cutting drying time in half. Front-loaders are also gentler on clothes, so your favorite T-shirt and jeans will last longer. These machines cost several hundred more up front, but will pay for themselves in a few years, and even more quickly if you have a large family.

There’s no better time than now to start implementing these energy-efficient ideas in your home. You’ll do your wallet, your house and your planet a favor.

Nate Burger is founder of Eco Handyman, a business that helps people improve their homes in a practical, efficient and environmentally friendly manner. He is also a Boulder Green Building Guild board member. Reach him at nate@ecohandyman.com.

© 2006 Brock Publishing Company
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