New homes are designed with energy efficiency in mind. However, efficient construction wasn’t a big focus in about 70 percent of homes built a few decades ago. If your older home is drafty and uncomfortable, and your heating bills are consistently high, use these tips to reduce heating costs in your older home.
Energy Audit
Kick off your home-efficiency retrofits with an energy audit. An energy audit can reveal exactly where indoor heat is escaping through, creating uncomfortable drafts and drive up heating bills.
Seal Air Leaks
On a cold day, walk through each room of your home passing by all windows and exterior doors. Do you feel any drafts? Drafts are caused by air leaks through cracks and holes around inefficient windows and doors.
Plastic tension V-strips and caulk work well for sealing windows, while rubber tubing is ideal for sealing exterior doors.
Boost Insulation
Without adequate insulation, it’s impossible to enjoy an energy efficient home. Take a look in your attic. Standard fiberglass or cellulose attic insulation in Amarillo for new homes is R-38. You may add new insulation on top of existing materials. Just make sure the new insulation is of the same density or lighter.
Update the Thermostat
Programmable thermostats are designed to offer homeowners a simple and convenient solution for maximizing energy savings and comfort. If you’re accustomed to turning your thermostat down to save heating dollars while away from home or during sleep hours, a programmable thermostat is a wise and practical upgrade from a manual or digital device.
To learn more about how to reduce heating costs in older homes, contact Amarillo Air Conditioning. We’ve been serving Texas Panhandle residents for more than 50 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Amarillo, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about reducing heating costs and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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