You have your home energy evaluation results in hand, and now you are wondering what the best strategy is for implementing the recommendations in the report. Knowing how to prioritize the energy improvements depends on your short-term and long-term budgets, your ability to do some of the work yourself, and the importance you place on getting a quick payback on the investments.
The home energy evaluation may have uncovered a variety of improvements you can make that range in ease and cost from simple and inexpensive to complex and costly. Fortunately, the easiest jobs to do are sometimes the ones that cost the least and offer the fastest return on investment. If you are handy with tools and have time to do some of the work yourself, the following projects will not take long to do and will give you immediate reductions in energy bills.
With summer fast approaching the Coastal Bend, this is a great time to get some of these jobs done:
- Use caulk or spray foam insulation to seal air leaks around window frames, door frames, and skylights, or places where ducts, wiring or plumbing penetrate walls between your air conditioned rooms and the garage or other unconditioned spaces.
- Replace weatherstripping around doors and the moving parts of windows.
- Plant a hedge or shade trees to shield the air conditioning compressor from direct sunlight but be careful not to restrict the airflow.
- Replace the A/C filter monthly, and vacuum dust from supply and return registers.
- Change out incandescent light bulbs for CFLs or LEDs in the light fixtures you use most often, which reduces the heat generated indoors and lowers the cooling load.
Longer-term and more expensive projects might include projects like:
- Replacing older appliances and HVAC equipment with more energy-efficient models. Replace items as your budget allows, preferably starting with the oldest equipment first.
- Adding insulation to the attic floor to bring the insulation level up to the R-value recommended for the climate.
- Seal leaky ducts, and insulate those ducts that run through the garage, attic or other unconditioned spaces.
- Replace old windows with energy-efficient wood or vinyl windows.
Contact Mathews CCAC Inc. for more information about improving home efficiency, or to schedule a home energy evaluation. We serve homeowners in Coastal Bend.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy evaluations and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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