Spring Greening
Find savings around the house while saving the planet too.
As a home energy effi ciency expert, Steve Guesman knows the difference people can make for the planet and for their pocketbooks with a simple home energy makeover. Many of those changes are easy and inexpensive do-it-yourself projects. Guesman, owner of GreenWorks Design/Build, sat down with us to discuss the biggest energy thief in your home, the truth about replacing appliances and how to make some of these changes yourself.
The thief in your house
“The single biggest energy thief in the home is air infi ltration ⁜ good old-fashioned air leaks,” Guesman says. This is the problem that leads to the small annoying problems people notice in their homes, like cold air blowing underneath exterior doors or condensation on windows. To correct these problems, all the ductwork and air penetrations, also known as leaks, must be sealed, Guesman says. “Leaky ducts literally make houses suck.”
When Guesman gets a call from a homeowner, the complaint often centers around a comfort or health issue. “They can’t stay warm or cool in different parts of the house,” he says. “Or they have indoor air issues with mold or asthmatic children. But it all comes back to the same basic problem of air infi ltration, letting unhealthful air into the house. “The attic access hatch door—basically an exterior door nobody thinks about—and every outlet and light fi xture cover are weeping hot air 24 hours a day, seven days week,” Guesman says.
However, sealing leaks in walls and ductwork tends to be dirty work, and that’s typically work homeowners would rather have Guesman do. “This is when somebody has to crawl around the house, and sometimes under the house, with tubes of caulk and cans of foam for fi xing leaks.”
Replacing big-ticket items for big savings
When it comes to replacing appliances in the home for energy savings, Guesman says there’s something important to keep in mind. Generally, when it comes to replacing equipment like your HVAC system or an old water heater, or even installing high-performance windows, it’s better to defer those purchases until they really need replacing, Guesman says. “You’re better off to fix the air leaks in your house first.”
When it is time to make those purchases, Guesman says to make sure they are Energy Star rated. However, there is one exception to the big-ticket rule: the refrigerator. “If your refrigerator is more than 10 or 12 years old, it’s good for your budget and the planet to go ahead and replace it with an Energy Star refrigerator because the technology has improved. Refrigerators are so much more efficient then they were 10 to 15 years ago.”
