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Welcome Home Magazine
79 Spyglass Drive
Littleton, Colorado 80123-6657
Phone: (303) 797-8400
Email: jim@welcomehomemag.com
Copyright 2008 Welcome Home Magazine

Could Your New Home Be An Energy Hog?
Buying a new home requires a lot of decision making, sometimes overwhelming. The decisions you make can have a tremendous affect on your family’s comfort and health, not to mention your monthly bills.
A commonly overlooked aspect of your new home is its energy efficiency. It’s possible to save anywhere from 45% - 70% on energy bills after renovations. Energy efficiency also adds value to your home. A study by The Appraisal Journal found that the selling price of homes increased by $20.73 for every $1 decrease in energy bills. If your energy bills average $1,500/yr. and you save $400/yr., your home value would increase by $83,000. With careful evaluation and a little education, any homeowner can begin to take the steps needed to create a more efficient and comfortable home.
Air Sealing and Insulation
Sealing air leaks is the quickest and cheapest energy improvement you can make. Actual savings vary for each home, but it is possible to reduce energy costs by one-third. When tightening up your home, it’s important to be sure that you maintain adequate levels of ventilation. In older homes, it’s unlikely that you will make the home too tight, but newer homes can be made too tight, creating a new multitude of dangerous health hazards. Making sure air flow is properly controlled and your home has adequate ventilation improves you home efficiency and indoor air quality.
Insulation levels are also very important. Blown in insulation can be added into existing homes, right around the bats that are already in the walls. Crawl spaces and unfinished basements should also be insulated with the addition of a moisture barrier.
Heating and Cooling: Bigger is not Better
Heating and cooling is the largest energy expenditure in your home, accounting for approximately two-thirds of annual energy bills. Replacing old equipment with more efficient models will save energy and money. It is also important to properly maintain existing equipment, use a programmable thermostat, seal air leaks, test air ducts for leaks, and maintain adequate ventilation.
If you have an older, inefficient system, upgrading to high efficiency equipment can cut your costs by more than one-third. Using a programmable thermostat adds even more savings. Your energy costs will decrease 1% for every 1 degree you lower the thermostat.
Windows: Get the Facts
Making the decision to replace your windows involves many factors that affect energy efficiency, comfort and home resale value. Windows are part of the home envelope and inefficient windows contribute to air leaks and cause comfort problems. More than likely a new home will have adequate windows, but older homes that have not had the windows replaced in over 5 years may need new ones. Inefficient windows can add 10-25% to heating bills and large, improperly shaded windows can add up to a whopping 75% to summer air conditioning bills.
Juanita Elizabeth McConkey is the Communications and Project Coordinator for the Colorado Energy Science Center, a local nonprofit energy education organization. She can be reached at jmcconkey@energyscience.org.