Save Energy, Money By Insulating Your Home

Time is money, the old adage goes, but so is a well-winterized house. Stopping air leakages can take as much as 30 percent off your heating bill, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

During the year-end, "fiscal cliff" wrangling over the American Taxpayer Relief Act some of the popular tax credits for insulation, energy-smart windows and highly efficient furnaces that expired in 2011 have been revived. Through Energy Upgrade California, you can get a contractors qualified to provide in-home assessments under this program and plan upgrades, as well.

If you just want to get started, keep the above in mind as you check out these three tips for closing up air leaks around your home:

1. First, do an informal energy audit of your house, keeping an eye out for the trouble spots. Windows and doors are obvious places to check, but also look at things like wall outlets and switches, plumbing vents and the attic hatch for leakage. Swaying curtains and light under your doors are sure signs, but you can find less obvious air leaks by using an infrared thermometer to check for temperature variations. Or use a lighted candle (carefully). If the flame moves, air is coming in.
2. Seal the outside of windows with a good quality silicone caulk; use rope caulk on the inside (it can be removed in the spring). Or cover windows with a transparent film, using a hair dryer for adhesion. Other air leaks can be sealed with caulk or self-adhesive weather stripping.  
3. Installing insulation yourself is not easy, but if you have an older home, chances are you need to add more. If the insulation is level with or below the floor joists, you should add more, according to Energy Star, a joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.  

Here is a list of local places and resources where you can find supplies and advice for insulating your home. Patch will have more stories on going green—and any incentives out there—as the weeks go on:

Los Altos True Value Hardware

Orchard Supply Hardware

Greentown Los Altos' Energy-Savers Program

 

Also in Los Altos Patch:

20 Ways to Go Green in 2013

 

What suggestions do you have for DIY winterizing?