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Message
Best way to make my home more energy efficient
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:21 am
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:21 am
My home is 16 years old and I would like to make it more energy efficient. Starting with the attic what is the best route to go and what kind of price am I looking at?
15
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:22 am to Brazos
Spray insulate the shite out of it.
Cost: bout tree fiddy
Cost: bout tree fiddy
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:24 am to Brazos
Does your attic have proper ventilation?
An extremely hot attic is terrible for your AC trying to keep up
An extremely hot attic is terrible for your AC trying to keep up
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:26 am to Brazos
Train your wife and kids to turn off the lights when they leave a room.
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:26 am to Brazos
I've done new windows and 9-10" blown in the attic, did wonders for me. About $5000 for windows, $1200 for attic
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:26 am to Brazos
Ice. Lots of ice.
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:34 am to Brazos
1) Attic insulation
2) Insulated windows
2) Insulated windows
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:36 am to Brazos
Live in a tent
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:43 am to Brazos
I had good luck with putting two six inch layers of batt insulation on the attic "floor".
That is a tough diy job, but anyone can do it.
Take care not to block your soffit vents and if you don't have roof vents or ridge vents you need them too. Mechanical roof vents work too, but they use some power.
Anything that makes the "envelope" tighter and more insulated helps.
If you have old AC equipment and you plan to stay put, an equipment upgrade can help a lot too.
That is a tough diy job, but anyone can do it.
Take care not to block your soffit vents and if you don't have roof vents or ridge vents you need them too. Mechanical roof vents work too, but they use some power.
Anything that makes the "envelope" tighter and more insulated helps.
If you have old AC equipment and you plan to stay put, an equipment upgrade can help a lot too.
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:47 am to Brazos
Windows and doors is always where you lose the most heating/cooling.
I recently changed out most of my light bulbs with leds. They were expensive, but they knocked off $20-$25 off my power bill. So in about a year, I'll recover my costs
I recently changed out most of my light bulbs with leds. They were expensive, but they knocked off $20-$25 off my power bill. So in about a year, I'll recover my costs
Posted on 7/4/16 at 11:49 am to Brazos
Insulation, radiant barrier, and ventilation
/thread
*match the surface area of intake vents to exiting air going out to your attic's square footage
My vent fans are in the back of my attic, so I'm putting a pusher fan from where the soffit vents are to the vent fans
/thread
*match the surface area of intake vents to exiting air going out to your attic's square footage
My vent fans are in the back of my attic, so I'm putting a pusher fan from where the soffit vents are to the vent fans
This post was edited on 7/4/16 at 11:53 am
Posted on 7/4/16 at 12:01 pm to Brazos
quote:'
My home is 16 years old and I would like to make it more energy efficient. Starting with the attic what is the best route to go and what kind of price am I looking at?
Depends.
How long are you going to stay in the house?
Posted on 7/4/16 at 12:45 pm to VetteGuy
My house 113 years old bought it four years ago. So far changed out all taps water tank put dimmer switches and new lights in added solar panels on garage and greenhouse. Hopefully getting new windows before winter.
Posted on 7/4/16 at 12:50 pm to Croacka
quote:
An extremely hot attic is terrible for your AC trying to keep up
Is this really only an issue for ductwork that runs through the attic? Is it less of an issue when the ductwork is below the house?
Posted on 7/4/16 at 12:58 pm to VetteGuy
I just bought the house last month. I've noticed my AC is pumping all day to keep the house at 75. I have a couple of ridge vents and a electric attic fan to ventilate attic. I'm thinking I need more insulation in attic.
Let me clarify that it will get to 75 around 4 pm during the hottest part of the day . My unit is plenty big enough and it is only 3 years old.
Let me clarify that it will get to 75 around 4 pm during the hottest part of the day . My unit is plenty big enough and it is only 3 years old.
This post was edited on 7/4/16 at 1:05 pm
Posted on 7/4/16 at 1:01 pm to Brazos
Won't pay immediate dividend, but plant deciduous trees on the side of the house facing the Equator. They become shade trees in the summer, and they let sunlight through the windows in the winter.
Posted on 7/4/16 at 1:16 pm to Brazos
Sprayfoam is best option, but it is also the most expensive.
Run the ROI numbers, relative to how long you think you'll be in the house, and see if it makes sense.
Run the ROI numbers, relative to how long you think you'll be in the house, and see if it makes sense.
Posted on 7/4/16 at 1:22 pm to Brazos
Tint the windows to. Cuts down drastically on the heat that gets through the windows.
Posted on 7/4/16 at 1:24 pm to Brazos
Best thing that I have done is to resell and insulate everything.
You can get some little plates of. Insulation to put behind light switch panels, electric outlets, etc. redo weatherstrippingng around doors, windows and attic stairs.
Get a cheap IR thermostat and scan your ductwork for air leaks in the attic.
Put shade screens on the windows.
These are all cheap things to do and helped out my house a hell of a lot.
You can get some little plates of. Insulation to put behind light switch panels, electric outlets, etc. redo weatherstrippingng around doors, windows and attic stairs.
Get a cheap IR thermostat and scan your ductwork for air leaks in the attic.
Put shade screens on the windows.
These are all cheap things to do and helped out my house a hell of a lot.
Posted on 7/4/16 at 1:51 pm to sonusfaber
I am working on my shite right now. Attic temps were 125-130 static air. Now put that against 95° outside temp and you can figure it out. On a big house, that's a lot of time for the air to warm up. I have some old ductwork with little or degraded insulation that has a few leaks also, so that needs to be fixed.
Right now, my ceiling is around 85 and my floor is 76, so conduction because of the static air is another problem I'm facing.
In the attic, you really need the correct amount of air movement, insulation between the attic and ceiling, and a radiant barrier stapled to the rafters. Other than that, you can't really do much in there
Right now, my ceiling is around 85 and my floor is 76, so conduction because of the static air is another problem I'm facing.
In the attic, you really need the correct amount of air movement, insulation between the attic and ceiling, and a radiant barrier stapled to the rafters. Other than that, you can't really do much in there
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