Even if you have a great and affordable fuel company and good electrical rates, you probably don’t exactly enjoy getting your energy bills each month. We all want a warm and comfortable house in the winter and a nice cool one in the summer, but we’d all rather that these things cost as little as possible.
Unfortunately, both of those things are destined to be very expensive if your home isn’t up to the simple task of keeping your inside temperature in and your outside temperature out. Drafts, poorly insulated walls, badly designed attics, old windows, and more can rob you of your comfortable air and send it sailing – sometimes quite literally – out the window. Not good! Here’s what you need to know in order to fix that situation and save on your energy bills.
Insulation
Your home’s walls, of course, are what separate your inside space from your outdoor space. And there are a few things about your walls that will determine how well they do their job!
In terms of preserving your indoor temperature, the obvious culprit is insulation. Insulation, of course, is the stuff that lines the insides of your walls between the drywall and the outside. Modern insulation options include spray foam insulation, which offers a quick installation process and effective insulation for years to come. Pay careful attention to insulation needs in your attic – attics are often the culprits when it comes to escaping heat.
Siding
Insulation isn’t the only part of the equation when it comes to energy-efficient walls. The outside of your walls matters, too! Aging siding with cracks and spaces is an invitation to dense cold air, which will happily pour through and displace the warm air on the other side. That means your air conditioned air will head out in the summer and that the winter weather will share your home in the winter.
So invest in new siding! When it comes to energy efficiency, your best bet is seamless vinyl siding. As the name suggests, seamless vinyl siding has no seams, making it more effective at keeping air on whichever side of your walls it belongs on.
Windows and Doors
Of course, your walls themselves aren’t without seams and spaces of their own. They’re cut through in places to allow for windows and doors. That’s a necessary thing – you wouldn’t want to live in the dark, and you certainly need to go in and out of your home when you need to – but it’s also a hotspot for energy inefficiency.
So invest in high-quality windows and doors, and hire a reliable contractor to install them. Getting the seams, materials, and energy ratings on these installations right is essential. With a reliable contractor in your corner, your choices on doors and windows – as well as siding and insulation – will help you keep your heat and air conditioning where it belongs: inside!