Save Hundreds on Your Utility Bills...

....With a Few Minutes of Your Time – and a Piece of Tape

Every day, you’re bombarded with energy saving ideas. Replace your windows. Buy a new furnace. Install solar panels. Drive a hybrid. It’s too much. But what if you knew that you could save hundreds of dollars on your utility bills with just a few minutes of your time – and a piece of tape?

Studies by the Department of Energy show that the average home loses 25%-40% of its energy due to leaky furnaces and ducts. Whether a home is old or new, leaky ducts waste hundreds of dollars of energy every year.

The great news is that YOU can spot and fix the worst of these leaks, and it won’t cost more than a roll of special tape and a few minutes. No contractors necessary!

Let’s take a look at how Joe and Tina cut their utility bills in half and made their home more comfortable.

Tina thought that the air in their house always smelled bad. Wendy, their daughter, would wake up crying with nose-bleeds. And Luke, their son, was always complaining that the temperature in his room was uncomfortable.

Even though the heating system had been serviced recently by a contractor who told her it was working great, Tina decided to go up to the attic to check it out. She immediately noticed the air filter sticking out the side of the air handler – and a big gap where attic air was whistling in! She looked closer and found a family of dead mice in there. Yuck! No wonder why the house smelled so bad!

After a quick trip to the hardware store for the right filter and a roll of foil tape, Joe cleaned out the mouse debris, and Tina put in the new air filter and covered up the hole with foil tape.

The amazing this is that Joe and Tina just saved themselves 30% on their heating bill. This “little detail” was robbing them every day by sucking dirty attic air into the system.

That night, their daughter slept soundly – no more nose-bleeds! The next day, Tina noticed that the house was less dusty. And the air – no more stink! It was like living in a new home.

Encouraged by their success, Joe and Tina decided to look around their attic some more. This time, Joe noticed a duct that wasn’t attached properly. When he touched the duct, it fell off!

Joe just found the most common problems with flexible ductwork – ducts that aren’t properly attached and sealed.

Tina traced the duct across the attic and saw that it went to Luke’s room. “That’s why his room is always cold! All these years, and it’s just been a loose duct!”

Tina found that the best way to seal ducts is with “Duct Mastic” or “Foilmastic” tape, so she purchased some online along with giant zip-ties designed to secure ducts.

Tina used a zip-tie to attach the duct tightly and taped over it to seal it air-tight to the sheet metal. Then, she put another zip-tie on the insulated portion to hold that on, too. “I discovered that you have to seal the outer lining to stop condensation from forming when you run the AC.”

That night, Luke and Wendy slept comfortably in their bedrooms, and Joe and Tina had just saved themselves another 10% on their heating bill. “We should have done this years ago!” said Joe. “It’s great to think of all the money we’re saving – and our house is cleaner and more comfortable!”

Whether you live in a new home or an old one, it’s worth your time to inspect your air handling system and ducts. You could easily save hundreds of dollars on your utility bills while making your home cleaner and more comfortable.

For detailed tips on making your home more energy efficient, see:

http://www.virescentcommunities.com/fixit

This article was written by Ted Inoue of Energy Testing & Consulting LLC.

Ted Inoué, CSBA, is an energy auditor, Lecturer and board member for the National Sustainable Building Advisor Program. He is certified by the Building Performance Institute as a Building Analyst and Shell Specialist. His is also a certified Building Science Thermographer.

Ted lives in New Hope, PA. He is co-founder of Virescent Communities, a non-profit organization that helps make entire communities more energy efficient.

Ted Inoue

Energy Testing & Consulting llc.
New Hope, PA 18938
215-760-0211
http://www.etccreations.com/


Source:

Superior Woodcraft, Inc.
Superior Woodcraft Blog