10 Superfast ( And Supercheap!) Energy Saving Tips For Any Home –

April 22, 2010 - PRLog -- •   Install attic insulation – by far the cheapest and easiest way to lower your bills immediately! Most Austin homes built before the early 90’s have insulation amounts below those recommended by current building codes. An energy audit, even for those of you outside Austin proper,  can quickly determine the best places to save money – from old leaky AC ducts to adding insulation. Weather stripping and insulating attic hatches over interior areas is often overlooked and can lose you hundreds of dollars over the course of the year.  
•   Re-seal and weatherize old windows and doors  - A little elbow grease and some weather stripping go a long way!. An Austin home with old metal framed windows loses 10% of heating and 20% of cooling almost immediately through normal structural gaps in the windows! Commercial heat detectors, available at local hardware stores, can help find pesky drafts.
•   Improve your attic ventilation – There’s no one way to ventilate a roof and attic, but most ventilation systems use a natural draw, or rise in heated air, to provide constant airflow. An insulation or roofing professional can tell after a brief inspection what improvements might be needed. (* For home owners with Powered Attic fans  - don’t forget to check the operation of these fans in summer!  the motors in these fans have a average service life of five to eight years. )  
•   Have an energy audit performed  - Many Austin companies with perform these for a nominal fee – make sure and know beforehand if you need and Air Conditioning company to perform a “Duct Pressure test” – if your ducts lose more than 10% of conditioned air you will need repairs BEFORE any new insulation is installed and any applicable rebates are obtained.
•   Install radiant barriers – Reflective surfaced materials, from metallic paint to sheets of silvery wallpaper type materials in the attic to metal roofing – all can decrease attic temperatures and lower cooling bills. Some are eligible for rebates and tax credits.
•   Update siding and wall insulation – most cost effective when performed along with repairs, many homes built before 1980 need wall insulation, and if you have a large North facing wall, radiant barriers for use inside walls can also be useful.

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