Remodeling Your Home? Put Efficiency On Your Checklist.

 Before beginning any major project to remodel an existing home, owner's should be sure to perform a do-it-yourself home energy assessment.  This will allow the homeowner to determine if any issues need to be remedied before the project.  Keep a list of potential issues during the assessment. 

The first item on the list is to look for drafts or other obvious air leaks.  Reducing drafts will improve the comfort of the home and can translate into a potential 5% to 30% savings each year in energy costs.  Air leaks can happen in a number of areas inside the home such as attic hatches, baseboards, electrical outlets, fireplace dampers, mail slots, switch plates, weather stripping around windows and around wall or window mounted air conditioning units. 

If there is any difficulty locating potential leaks, conduct a basic building pressurization test.  Close all exterior windows and doors along with any fireplace flues.  Switch all combustion appliances (gas burning water heaters or furnace) off and then switch on all exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms or use a large window fan.  This allows for increased infiltration through any leaks or cracks making them easier to detect.  Two helpful air flow indication methods with this test include lighting incense and watching for any changes in the smoke or a damp hand to feel flowing streams of air. 

Checking the insulation of the home is also important but can be difficult.  The easiest determination can be made by inspecting the attic and basement areas where actual visualization of the current insulation is possible.  While in the attic, look to see if there is a vapor barrier (usually tarpaper) between the insulation and ceiling.  A vapor barrier limits the amount of vapor passing through the ceiling that can reduce the insulation's effectiveness and foster structural damage.  In the basement, look for any obvious problems including a lack of insulation around the water heater, pipes and furnace ducts.  For checking wall insulation, turn off the power and double-check to make sure the power is off.  Remove the cover plate to an outlet.  Then, take a screwdriver or wooden stick and probe into the wall to determine the amount of insulation there. 

According to the outcomes of this assessment, homeowner's may need to seek a professional assessment before correcting the issues and starting the remodeling project.