Dealing with high energy bills
With ever increasing home energy bills straining families pocket books, many people are looking for ways to conserve energy in their homes. Whether you live in a newer home or an older home, there are a number of relatively cheap steps you can take to bring your bills down. I first want to address a few of the fundamentals of your home that are causing these high bills (other than skyrocketing rates).
Ventilation:
The majority of people shopping for a home (new or used) don’t care whether the home is adequately ventilated. Even though builders are required by the building codes to install adequate ventilation, nobody is watching them to make sure they do it properly. Many builders are conscientious and will do it right, but unfortunately many do not. One of the problems is the design of new homes, with roofs lines that are broken up into several sections, with short ridges. This looks great and will attract buyers, but is a nightmare from a ventilation standpoint.
Hot air gets into your attic as the sun beats down on your shingles, which in turn heats up the decking , which then deposits the hot air into your attic. Everyone knows that hot air rises, so in order for this hot air to get out of your attic their needs to be vents as high as possible in your attic. There also needs to be vents at the lower section of your attic to allow your attic space to breath. A properly vented attic will have a properly proportioned amount of soffit vents allowing cooler air to enter the attic at the lower section, heating up and rising all the way up and out of the attic at the ridge.
Insulation
Once again, most people have no idea how much insulation their home should have. To reach the R30 levels that homes in Texas should have, there should be roughly 10” of fiberglass loose fill insulation in your attic. Other types may take anywhere from 7”-10” for other blown insulation types (cellulose, rock wool etc…,) Just because your buying a new home doesn’t necessarily mean your home is properly insulated.
Summers in the Southeast part of Texas can be brutally hot. An unvented or inadequately vented attic space can act like an oven, with temperatures above 150 °. Roof decking can reach temperatures of 170° and can cook the underside of shingles, causing accelerated deterioration and warping, which can cause leaks and expensive repairs. The attic flooring can reach 140°, which makes the rooms underneath them uncomfortable.
In the winter months the problem is moisture. Your furnace sends warm air through your home which absorbs the moisture from showers, range hoods, dryer vents etc, This high humidity air enters the attic through diffusion (process in which high humidity air in your home works it’s way into your low humidity attic), and also cracks around your attic entry door (weather strip and insulate this door !!!!!) , recessed lighting, light fixtures, exhaust fans etc…., are all entry points for this air. This high humidity air hits your attic framing and condensates into drops of water, which either drip onto your insulation or are absorbed into the framing. The results can include: damage to your framing, moisture stains on your ceiling, damage to insulation leading to higher utility bills, wood rot, damage to your roofing materials etc….
New Homes: First of all, always get your new home inspected by an experienced (code certified) independent inspector. Don’t make the mistake of letting your Builder talk you out of it. Also, if your builder gives you an option of upgrading with a radiant barrier such as Tech Shield, take it!!!! If for some reason your inspector doesn’t address ventilation with you, you should ask him about it. He should know the codes and be able to give you a full assessment of the ventilation levels in your home. At that point take his report and present it to your builder. Many builders will upgrade your ventilation if his #’s don’t add up and you have a good Inspection Report.
If for some reason you decided against a home inspection. During a hot day in the summertime enter your attic (remember, always be careful when walking in your attic and walk only where flooring has been installed) and put a thermometer in your attic. If the temperature in your attic is more than 15-20 degrees higher than the temperature outside, then there’s a good chance your attic is improperly ventilated. If it’s still within your one-year warranty, there’s a chance your builder will take care of the problem. It’s much easier to get him to do it prior to the purchase.
My list of Home Energy Saving Tips with cost as a factor
Used Homes: Energy bills are skyrocketing, with some older homes seeing electric bills in the summertime of over $500/mth for 2,000 sq. foot homes. Many people are stuck in the rut of having an older A/C unit and having ridiculously high energy bills, but feeling like they can’t afford a new system. The cold fact is that if you have an older A/C unit, chances are your going to have very high electric bills no matter what other steps you take.
This is my “Best bang for the buck” list of home improvements you can make to save energy and dollars.
1st) Replace all the incandescent light bulbs in your home with fluorescent bulbs. Payback – less than one year
2nd) Replace you’re A/C filter regularly, and have your system serviced annually. Payback-less than 1 year
3rd) Get a programmable thermostat
These thermostasts may cost a couple of hundred dollars(or more) but they can pay for themselves in one season (if properly used). They basically make sure you never forget to turn your system down during the day when your at work, and also adjust the system after your asleep. Payback less than 1 year
4th) Sun screens
If you have windows that get a lot of sun, these screens can greatly decrease the sunlight beating through them and overheating your home. You can buy kits at your local hardware store for around $30 for a standard sized window. Payback depends on how much sun is currently getting in your windows.
5th) Caulking your windows and weatherstripping your doorways
Check your doors for light gaps. Step back a couple of feet from the inside of your doors (during the day) and see if any light shines through. Then go around your home and see if the caulking around your windows is in need of repair. Payback less than 1 year
6th) Ceiling fans If you don’t already have these, get them. 1-3 year payback
7th) Ventilate and Insulate A rule of thumb (very rough way to estimate) is that every inch of insulation is worth an R value of 3 for blown fiberglass and up to 4 for other types. Current new homes should homes should have a minimum of R30. 1-5 year payback
Summary: One question I am often asked as I am explaining ventilation to my clients buying a used home is “would it be worth it for me to upgrade my ventilation?” If the ventilation is inadequate, my answer is always an emphatic yes. Even though the direct payback for your investment can be several years (cost of improvements to savings in electric and gas bills), the overall health of your home and the air you breath is immeasurable. Also, never buy a new roof without upgrading the ventilation. It cost more but it’s more than worth it. If your buying a new home, always get a home inspection and get your inspector to pay close attention to the ventilation. A good inspector will do this automatically.
Something to think about !!! If you are struggling with high energy cost do to an old A/C unit, if you get a new system (including evaporator coil) and finance it at a real good rate, the difference in your energy bills may very well more than make the payment.
Here are some helpful websites if you are thinking about doing something about your high energy cost.
Department of Energy http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/efficiency/energy_savings.htm
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