Rock Wool Insulation
With winter here - as well as the heating bills - it's important to understand how a home uses its energy. In particular, it helps to understand how
your home uses its energy. Essentially, there are two different ways: efficiently and inefficiently. If your home isn't up to snuff in its energy efficiency, you'll want to keep reading this article. It won't only save you headaches, it will save you money.
One of the first principles in energy efficiency is keeping the energy you're producing, and this is often done through insulation. Much of the energy your home is using is for generating heat. If you're losing heat to the outside world all the time, then your energy bills are going to stay sky-high. You'll essentially be using more energy to keep the same amount of heat other people have. If your home is old, it will help to check the insulation you have in your walls, learn about crucial points in which you can save much of your heat, and learn ways to test for "heat leaks."
Consider installing more energy-efficient windows and doors to amp up your home's ability to insulate, as well. If you're buying a home, ask about having these installed right off the bat.
Another way to change how energy efficient you keep your home is to purchase equipment that will simply use less energy off the bat. New, modern heaters, air conditioners, and washers/dryers will be able to do much of the same job using less energy, helping you save on your monthly bills. Of course, these appliances can cost a heavy sum upfront, so it might take a keen eye for shopping and perhaps a bit of sacrifice in order to make your home energy-efficient. Key appliances like refrigerators, washers/dryers, water heaters, and dishwashers are some of the appliances to think about. If you want to upgrade to a more energy-efficient appliance, you might consider selling the old one, as well, in order to offset the costs.
Optimizing your home's insulation and the equipment that use energy are great places to focus on reducing your energy uses. You can also use conservation as a way to stave off your energy usage, but if you want to maintain your lifestyle with less energy, you can do that, as well. For many people, simply utilizing both strategies reduces the most energy use possible.
Photo Credits: iLoveButter
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Posted by Fix Handyman on January 26, 2010 in
Energy, Handyman, House, How to Fix
It's getting cool in here.
Whether you're just hitting those summer months or warm temperatures are a year-round constant for you, saving money on air conditioning is a must, especially given a tough economy. It feels great to come in from the heat with a cool blast of air just behind your door, but that doesn't mean you should break the bank in order to stay comfortable. In this article, you'll receive some tips on using air conditioning while saving money so that you don't have to sacrifice money or comfort to have more of the other.
The first thing you'll want to realize is that air conditioners don't only cool the air, but they prevent humidity from building up because cooler air can't hold as much moisture. Hot summer days can be incredibly humid, and taking away this humidity in your home is one of the first steps to feel cooler without pumping up the AC.
In order to prevent humidity from gathering in your home, you'll first want to make sure that the water presence is as low as possible. Boiling a pot of water for spaghetti will force steam and moisture into your home - if you must boil a pot of water, be sure that you ventilate that air right away by turning on your oven fan. Other potential issues with water around the home can include leaks and plumbing problems.
Another way to remove humidity from the air is to buy a - what else? - dehumidifier. Many homes have these as a great supplement to their air conditioner. They'll typically cost you a few hundred dollars, but you'll be amazed at how much water they remove from the air - often gallons of it per day. Other ways of removing humidity might include ventilating with exhaust fans that remove humid air. A kitchen fan can help accomplish this.
By reducing the humidity in the air, you're reducing the amount of stress placed on your air conditioner to maintain a certain amount of temperature. If the weather outside is humid, don't open windows to keep things cool; instead, keep them closed and work on getting that air inside your house dry and cool.
If you plan on having a party, make sure to keep people outside most of the time, as body heat can really force your air conditioner to work overtime. You don't want your air conditioner to work more than it has to simply to maintain a comfortable temperature, so stay mindful of what's going on in your house. Think about the work your air conditioner is doing and ask yourself how you can potentially make that work easier.
Photo Credits: skeddy in NYC
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 10, 2009 in
Handyman, How to Fix
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