You may have seen similar diagrams and pictures of homes showing the areas where heat loss occurs in your home. This particular one is from an article in Britain and therefore the savings are indicated in pounds rather than dollars. Don’t be concerned about the currency. We all have the same issues when it comes to improving energy savings for our homes. If you are not well insulated, then you are going to lose heat somewhere. That means it is going to cost you money as well.
You may have upgraded your furnace and your water heater to the latest models. You are already achieving high efficiency with these devices. When we say high efficiency, anything above 95% efficient is considered high efficiency. Especially compared to older models which were down in the 60% range. Consumers who have taken this step to upgrade their furnace are already saving money. They are using the fuel they are paying for as efficiently as possible.
Improving Energy Efficiency – Where is the Heat Loss
But the next area to be concerned about is what is happening to the heat once it is distributed within your home. Is most of it escaping out through the roof, the walls, the windows or the doors? As you can see from this diagram or picture, a great deal of heat loss can occur if you do not take steps to properly insulate your attic, walls, windows and doors in your home. You may already have insulation in your attic and as far as you know the rest of the house is ok.
Have an energy consultant assess your home and give an estimate of what it would take to make your home more energy efficient. Windows can be upgraded to with double pains and argon in between to deliver maximum efficiency. Also apply caulking around them to ensure that there are no gaps to allow air to escape or enter the home along with insects and possibly moisture. Your windows can allow a third of your heat to escape unless they are properly installed and efficient.
Conduct a Pressure Test
By doing a pressure test of your home you can also find out where all of the leaks are. By applying caulking in these areas and also plugging or adding insulation as appropriate, consumers can reduce the drafts as well as reduce their heat loss and improve their heating bills as well. Doors and floors can be responsible for as much as 11% according to these estimates of your total heat loss. Even though lower than the windows, it is still substantial and relatively easy to repair and inexpensive as well. A pressure test may cost you something, the real question is how quickly will you recover this cost through energy savings?
The roof or attic is the next major area to tackle. First make sure the attic is adequately vented to remove heat from your attic. By removing the heat naturally, the cost to cool your home would also be reduced. Insulation in your attic should be at least R25 or higher to decrease the amount of energy being lost through the roof area.
Following these areas can be the best way to improving energy efficiency.