June 14, 2007

How-To Cut Cooling Costs by Sealing Your Home

There’s a good chance that you’re paying too much to cool and heat your house. In fact, we’d wager 100-1 that your house isn’t as tight as you think it is and that a lot of your precious (and expensive) AC is slipping out through little cracks around your windows, doors and probably up through your attic too.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has a great guide to home energy savings. The article talks about the option of getting an energy audit and it mentions the following places as likely candidates for leaks:

Plumbing penetrations through insulated floors and ceilings
Chimney penetrations through insulated ceilings and exterior walls
Fireplace dampers
Attic access hatches
Recessed lights and fans in insulated ceilings
Wiring penetrations through insulated floors, ceilings, and walls
Missing plaster
Electrical outlets and switches, especially on exterior walls
Window, door, and baseboard moldings
Dropped ceilings above bathtubs and cabinets

The article is worth reading to get a general feel for how leaky a house can be and what you can be doing to stop blowing dollar bills out of the shell of your house.

Read the article here.