How Insulation Can Lower your Energy Bills

How Insulation Can Lower your Cleveland Energy Bills

Does your HVAC system continuously run just to keep up with the moderate temperature setting on your thermostat? Do you feel drafts of chilly air enter your home during cold months? Are different rooms in your house uncomfortably hot in the summer and frigid in the winter? If so, your home probably isn’t adequately insulated.  Don’t worry: Many homes waste energy (and homeowners’ money) because of insufficient insulation. 

Inadequate insulation causes too much heat to leak out of a house during winter months, and too much heat to leak in on hot summer days. With the heating and air conditioning systems struggling to overcome this inefficiency, too many Cleveland homeowners are spending excessive amounts of money on utilities. Fortunately, this wasteful situation can be remedied quickly and affordably. By combining air-sealing improvements with insulation upgrades, it’s often possible to reduce overall energy usage up to 40%. That means that $4 out of every $10 you used to spend on electricity, fuel oil and/or natural gas can go back into your pocket. As a bonus, you can feel good about reducing carbon emissions that are harmful to the environment

Continue reading to learn how a certified Cleveland insulation contractor can quickly and affordably transform your inefficient home into an showcase for improved energy performance. -

How Heat Moves
Heat naturally moves from warmer to colder areas. The purpose of insulation is to resist the transfer of heat. The “R” in R-value stands for resistance to heat movement. Contrary to popular belief, insulation isn't just important to have during the winter when frigid outdoor air wants to make its way inside. Insulation is also vital during summer months when outdoor heat naturally wants to move into your air-conditioned home. The importance of insulation makes sense when you consider that during most times of the year, we’re spending money to condition the interior of the house because outdoor temperatures aren’t comfortable enough. 

How Much Insulation Do I Need?
One of the first things a certified Cleveland insulation contractor will determine during a free home insulation inspection is how well your home is insulated. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends the following insulation R-values for Cleveland homes: R49-R60 total R-value for attic insulation, and R25-R30 for floors.

A Cleveland insulation contractor can determine the current insulation R-values in your home and recommend ways to beef-up areas needing additional protection. This may include using spray foam insulation to fill in hard-to-reach gaps or tight spaces that other types of insulation (e.g. fiberglass) cannot reach or protect.

Ensuring Proper Installation
Like many building materials, insulation will only be effective if it is properly installed by a knowledgeable and experienced specialist. That's why it's important to hire a certified and reputable Cleveland insulation contractor for all your insulation needs. If insulation is compacted, wet, or installed with what's known as "voids" (gaps in protection), its overall effectiveness drops while your energy bills continue to rise.

Air Sealing is Equally Important
Just as brownies and ice cream go together, so do insulation and air sealing. Having one is good, but having both is far better! The truth is that insulation will not be nearly as effective if there are unsealed areas through which outdoor air can easily pass. By having a Cleveland insulation contractor seal air leaks in the attic, basement, walls, and floors, a home will become energy-efficient and the homeowner's energy bills will be significantly reduced.

Studies show that more than 65 million U.S. homes lack proper insulation. Don't let your Ohio home fall into that category. Whether you live in Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Marion, Strongsville, Brunswick, or other nearby town, save money and reduce energy usage by contacting a certified Cleveland insulation contractor today!

Looking for an insulation contractor in Parma, Akron, Canton or nearby? Dr. Energy Saver Cleveland is the local trusted energy experts who specialize in home insulation!

Posted on: December 6th 2011 by: Jacques Bouchard

Heating Contractors Help Washington Homeowners Save Energy and Money

 

There are many effective ways to save money on monthly home heating bills. Some Washington homeowners choose to lower the temperature on their thermostat and snuggle up with blankets to stay warm. Others use space heaters to heat only the rooms they're using at a particular time. While these methods are somewhat effective at lowering heating bills, they certainly don't result in a comfortable and cozy home. If you want both comfort and significant savings, contact a certified Washington heating contractor today!

How a Washington Heating Contractor Can Help
Certified Washington heating contractors understand the importance of efficiency when it comes to heating a home. There are many factors that determine home heating efficiency, including insulation, ductwork, the type of heating system, air leaks and the home design features like cathedral ceilings. Although all these factors can be addressed individually, an experienced home heating contractor understands the importance of understanding how different features interact with and influence others. 

A brand new, energy-efficient HVAC system, for example, will not be able to heat a home very well if the air ducts are leaking or clogged, or if the home lacks adequate insulation. That's why it's important to take a whole-house approach to home heating. Continue reading to learn how Washington heating contractors can help!

1. Seal Air Leaks: The first step in making a home more energy-efficient is to properly seal all sources of air leaks. After all, no one wants to allow frigid winter air to easily enter their home. Washington heating contractors  know that air sealing is a top priority when it comes to lowering energy bills. This energy upgrade should be completed prior to installing new or additional insulation.

2. Ensure Adequate Insulation: Many Washington homeowners pay hundreds -- sometimes thousands -- of dollars to heat their home during the winter. Doesn't it make sense to enjoy the air you paid to heat, rather than have it escape into the attic and outside the house? Without adequate attic, basement, wall, and floor insulation, indoor heat can easily escape from your home. This not only decreases the comfort level of the home; it also makes your HVAC system work much harder just to keep up with the temperature setting on your thermostat.

A certified Washington heating contractor can visit your home to determine its existing insulation R-value (resistance to heat flow). If your home is lacking in this area, he or she can recommend where you need new or additional insulation, how much you need, and the type of insulation that best suits the area and your budget.

3. Repair Ductwork: The next step in home heating efficiency is to repair leaking air ducts, so that all the heated air coming from your HVAC system can reach its target destination. Did you know that leaky ductwork can diminish the efficiency of your heating system by 35%? Instead of receiving all (100%) of the warm air that your furnace supplies, you’re only receiving 65% of it. That's a lot of heat to lose, and a lot of wasted money on warm air that you and your family will never even feel!

4. Inspect the HVAC System: Although it's no surprise that replacing an outdated HVAC system -- such as a furnace -- can be expensive, it's often a very wise investment that can pay for itself in a matter of years through reduced heating bills. Old furnaces and HVAC systems have proven themselves to be inefficient and quite costly when compared to new, energy-efficient models. A Washington heating contractor can thoroughly examine your current heating system to determine its BTU output, overall efficiency, and weaknesses. He or she can then recommend an HVAC solution that fits within your budget.

Heating and cooling accounts for nearly half of the average WA homeowner's energy expenses. Rather than continue to spend hundreds to heat an inefficient home, let a Washington heating contractor help make your home more comfortable, more energy-efficient, and less costly during those cold winter months!

Dr. Energy Saver Central Washington is a certified and fully trained home energy expert. They specialize in services such as HVAC, insulation, air sealing, and more! Contact them today, as they are the trusted heating contractor in Yakima, Ellensburg, Sunnyside, and more!

http://bit.ly/s78AMl 

Donate to Toys for Tots with Dr. Energy Saver Cleveland

Donate to Toys for Tots with Dr. Energy Saver Cleveland

Twinsburg, OH – Dr. Energy Saver® Cleveland is a donation reception center for Toys for Tots this holiday season, as part of their dual-action campaign coined as the “Energy Elves Are Coming to Town.”

They are collecting donations for Toys for Tots between December 5 and December 16, 2011. The team asks all customers and neighbors to bring donations to help support this endeavor to give to those in need. Their address is: 8287 Darrow Road, Twinsburg, OH 44087.

This is the second holiday program that Dr. Energy Saver Cleveland will be participating this year. The first ending just a few days ago, where they had donated food items on a grocery list to the City Mission to distribute to those in need of Thanksgiving dinner.

The Dr. Energy Saver team agrees that the holidays are a time of giving, while throughout the year they receive so much. These are their opportunities to help those in their local communities in need of food, toys, and resources.

Toys for Tots is a national program that has been run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve since its founding in 1947. It purposes to provide toys to families who cannot manage to give toys to their children during the Christmas season.

Dr. Energy Saver Cleveland specializes in improving home energy efficiency and comfort using their unique and comprehensive home energy audit in Akron, Parma, Canton, and nearby. They also provide many services including window and door replacement, energy conservation, home insulation, and more!

Visit Toys for Tots online to make a donation.

http://bit.ly/uZcgr4 

Energy Tip Of The Week: Weatherstripping and Air Sealing

It is that time of year again; the leaves have fallen, the breeze is brisk and the snow is getting ready to blanket the landscape.  How can you prepare for the winter and all it brings? Weather stripping doors and windows can be one of the most influential ways to prepare.  This is just one way to update your home, but we recommend a home energy audit to identify the major issues and the appropriate solutions.

We make sure to adhere to the following pinpoints to make sure the weather stripping is done correctly:

• The appropriate door sweeps and thresholds for the bottom of the doors.


• Weatherstrip the entire door jamb.


• Apply one continuous strip along each side.


• Make sure the weatherstripping meets tightly at the corners.


• Use a thickness that causes the weatherstripping to tightly press between the door and the door jamb when the door closes, without making it difficult to shut.

When air sealing your windows, make sure to apply the weather stripping between the sash and the frame.  The weather stripping should not interfere with the operation of the window.

For a complete analysis of of the energy efficiency of your home, call to schedule your home energy audit in Johnston, Des Moines, Altoona, and all neighboring areas!

http://bit.ly/uSUNKg 

250-Year-Old House goes Green!

Dr. Energy Saver of Connecticut helps make a beautiful, historic 250-year-old house more energy efficient, by beefing up attic insulation and injecting foam in the existing wall cavities.

Air Sealing and Attic Insulation – New Construction

This video from Dr. Energy Saver’s Energy U series, walk us through the process of air sealing and attic insulation of a new construction in CT.

Learn about common air leakage sources and how they can amount to huge energy waste.

This particular home had both a conventional attic and a cathedral ceiling area. Both were insulated with blown cellulose, using different techniques and approaches.

 

A New Concept in Home Staging

Home staging for the third millennium is about adding some real value to the property, by investing in improvements that will convince prospective buyers that they are not only getting their money's worth, but they are making the best possible investment.

 

Green retrofits and deep energy efficient retrofits not only add value and appeal to the property, they are more affordable than you may think, and offer a great return as well. 

 

More good news? No home is beyond help. This post  shows how every home can be retrofitted to perform as well as a newly built "green" home.