Making Your Home More Comfortable:
Money Saving, Environment Saving Solutions
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- What a waste. This year tens of millions of dollars will be spent beating
the great outdoors. Millions of dollars will be sent, literally, out the window and up the
chimney. It won't be the wasters who suffer. We all do. Every cubic foot of natural gas
and gallon of heating oil that's wasted damages our environment unnecessarily. We don't
fully understand the effects of adding carbon dioxide and other combustion by-products to
our atmosphere, but we do know this: a few simple steps can reduce the amount of energy we
use and make us more comfortable in our homes besides. Here's what you can do:
End the Drafts
- When air leaks around your windows and doors, you lose your money. Your
house feels drafty. Your furnace works harder than it should. Spend a Saturday caulking
and weather-stripping your windows and doors. You'll be well paid for the time and money
you invest every time you receive the electric bill in the mail.
Bats in Your Belfry (or at Least in Your Crawl Space)
- Insulation bats, that is. Your attic, sidewalls and crawl spaces should
all be adequately insulated. You can install it yourself or hire a contractor to do it for
you. Either way, you'll notice an improvement in comfort right away and be money ahead in
the long run. An interesting side benefit: fiberglass insulation is a very good sound
insulator, too. So while it keeps the heat in, it keeps the outside noises out and dampens
kitchen and bathroom noise inside the house, too.
Invisible Protective Shields
- Well, almost invisible. We're talking about storm windows and storm
doors, those transparent weather barriers that really reduce heat loss. These days there
are other options, too, like double and triple glazed windows. Your contractor or window
dealer can tell you more.
A Tip From Your Cat
- Even on the coldest winter day, the sun still packs plenty of energy
punch. Just look where your cat likes to nap, and take a hint. Opening the drapes to the
sun on a bright winter day can do a lot to help warm your home. Closing them at night can
hold heat in. In both cases you'll be well paid in energy savings for a few seconds of
work (as well as giving your cat a few more places to stretch out).
Warm up Your Furnace
- It keeps you warm all winter, doesn't it? Return the favor by giving it
what it needs. An annual check-up to make sure it's operating safely and up to the limits
of it's efficiency. Fresh, clean furnace filters at regular intervals, so it doesn't have
to blow harder than it should. Maybe a kind word now and them. Proper maintenance means
comfort and safety for you and your family.
Out of My House You Energy Glutton
- When it comes to old furnaces, sometimes it's better to be cruel than to
be kind. If it's more than seven years old, your furnace is like a car with a manual choke
in a world of computer- controlled fuel injection. New furnaces recapture heat that your
old furnace sends up the chimney in the form of steam. They condense the steam to hot
water and use the energy thus recaptured to help heat your home. So while and eight year-
old furnace might convert 60% of the energy in the natural gas or oil you buy into heat,
today's condensing furnaces turn over 90% or that energy into warmth for your family.
We all want a better environment, inside and out. It's nice to know that making
yourself more comfortable this winter benefits us all. And that our children, and their
children, will benefit, too.
Contact us at
plupson@acca-ncc.org
© 1996 ACCA-NCC
Last Updated: June 11, 2001
Updated By: PSL