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Drafty House? Six Home Energy Saving Tips
Want to put more money in your pocket? You can up to 10% or
more on your energy bill by eliminating as many the air leaks in your home
as possible. During the summer warm air leaks into your home and during
the winter leaks out of your home, wasting a good portion of your energy
dollars. One of the fastest and highest payback dollar-saving jobs you can
do around the house is to caulk, seal, and weather-strip all seams,
cracks, and openings to the outside air.
Here are a few tips to help you get started:
1. Check your home for air tightness. On a windy day, hold a lit incense
stick next to locations of potential air paths to the outside, like
windows, doors, electrical boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets,
and ceiling fixtures. If the smoke blows horizontally, you have found an
air leak that can use weatherstripping, sealing, or caulking.
2. Caulk and seal gaps where plumbing, ducting, or electrical wiring
penetrate through exterior walls, floors and ceilings.
3. Install rubber gaskets in back of exterior wall outlets and switch
plates.
4. Dirty, grimy spots on your insulation can indicate holes where air
leaks into and out of your house. Look underneath the insulation batting
for holes and gaps and seal them by stapling sheets of plastic over the
holes, then caulk the edges of the plastic.
5. In winter, when the fireplace is not being used, keep the flue damper
closed tightly. Chimneys are created to allow smoky air to escape, so
unless the flue is closed, warm air escapes, and with it, your heating
budget.
6. Installing storm windows over single-pane windows or replacing them
with double-pane windows is a major savings not to be overlooked. Windows
can make up 10% to 25% of your heating bill. Adding storm windows can cut
the heat loss in half.
Carlo Morelli writes for OnlineTips.org,
where you can read tips on concrete slab foundations and how to diagnose a
smoky fireplace.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carlo_Morelli
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