December 26, 2016
The new year will be here before you know it, and just like every year prior, it’s time to start thinking about making some resolutions to work towards a better future. For some, this means hitting the gym more often, quitting smoking or making time to volunteer with a local organization. These are all excellent goals, but homeowners in the Southeastern Pennsylvania area should also take care to make resolutions that focus on improving home performance.
The start of a new year means turning over a new leaf, and for those who have been holding off on making valuable home upgrades, now is an excellent time to move forward. Consider these home performance resolutions for 2017:
1. Improve Your Home’s Insulation
If you’re like most homeowners, you’re likely to be in the dark about whether or not your home is actually insulated properly. It’s important to realize that 90% of U.S. homes are under-insulated, and most people who live in these homes don’t know that a problem exists. They feel it, though, whether that’s in the form of high heating and cooling bills, temperature swings, drafts or many other problems associated with a lack of insulation.
Today’s high-performance insulation is far more effective than that of the past, and options such as spray foam and cellulose come with numerous benefits. If you’re living in an under-insulated home, 2017 is the year to finally fix this all-too-common problem.
2. Seal the Leaks!
Chances are you don’t spend each and every day of your life thinking about the amount of air that’s leaking out of your home. You might, though, if you find yourself dealing with drafts or high energy bills on a monthly basis.
Air sealing is the process of closing-off the many tiny cracks and gaps that tend to plague our homes. It eliminates unwanted airflow between the inside of your home and the environment outside, which means your warm, conditioned air stays inside where it belongs.
3. Give Your Home a Complete Physical
Improving insulation and air sealing in your home can make a huge difference when it comes to enhancing home performance, but you need to know where to start. This is where the home energy audit comes in, and at Green Stone Energy, we can’t recommend this process enough.
Think of it as a trip to the doctor for a physical, except the focus is on your home and how well it’s performing. Once you know exactly what you’re dealing with, you’ll be able to make informed decisions about how to move forward with valuable home performance upgrades.