How quickly did the snow melt off the roof this week?
If your snow melted first, that could be a sign your home is not
ready for the season.
The cheapest but best return on investment a homeowner can make
in the house for winter is insulation.
When a house is built, ideally it will have an “envelope” that
seals in heated or air-conditioned air.
But when the front of the house has interesting protrusions,
that envelope is opened up, allowing air into the room, said
Daniele Loffreda of Green Home Team.
Insulating and sealing cracks in attics pays off in savings on
the heating bill.
Blow in insulation or roll batts to fill the cavities in the
rafters to meet the U.S. Department of Energy’s recommendations for
Colorado.
Attics should have an R value of 49; walls, 18; floors, 25 and
basements, 11. If the house has electric heat, walls should be
insulated to 22 and basements to 19.
Then look around the chimney and use fireproof caulk to seal
cracks between the chimney and the walls and floors. Look around
wiring gaps, recessed can lights and soffits or dropped
ceilings.
“Find and seal gaps less than 3/16 of an inch with caulk,”
Loffreda said.
Larger gaps up to 3 inches can be filled with nontoxic expanding
foams.
Openings more than 3 inches can be closed with blocks of closed
cell foam. If the area does not get hot, insulation can be wrapped
in trash bags and stuffed into the openings, Loffreda said.
As the homeowner works through the projects, Loffreda suggests
closing the largest gaps first, and start with the bottom of the
house.
Check the basement, all the windows, ceiling joists and the slab
with attention to areas where services — water, power, natural gas,
telephone or computer cables — enter the home and duct work. If air
leaks from the ducts, seal with mastic paste and aluminum tape, not
gray duct tape.
Extensive duct leaks can be fixed with an aerosol sealant
applied by a professional.
After the insulation and sealing of the cracks, install a
programmable thermostat.
Set the thermostat to turn up the heat about 20 minutes before
residents arrive home.
For a fix for cold rooms that costs nothing, go look at the
registers and make sure they are open, Loffreda said.
For more information on keeping a home warm, visit www.thegreenhometeam.com.
Xcel Energy is offering free workshops for making a house more
efficient. To schedule a presentation, from homeowners associations
to clubs, call 303-294-2476.