i n d o o r s
L I V I N G G R E E N
by replacing your curre nt w indow s or
furnace, fo r example, the credit like ly
w o n’t be enough o f an incentive on its
own. You m ay not recoup all your
costs in energy savings either.
However, investing in good-quality,
energy-sm art products offers other
benefits, w ith personal com fort
topping the list. A nd i f you were
already considering a replacem ent
product, the tax credit m ay provide an
op p o rtu n ity you don’t w ant to pass up.
:
m
m
h e m o s t e f f e c t iv e u p g ra d e s
a r e n ’t a lw a y s o b v io u s .
K evin W aldron couldn’t keep his
three-bedroom hom e in Macedonia,
Ohio, w arm , and his m o n th ly heating
b ill w o uld peak at $250. “ I was ready
to spend $
10,000
on new w indow s, as
I was sure they w ere the source o f all
m y heat loss,” he says. A n energy
audit found the biggest heat loss was
actually due to p oorly installed attic
insulation. Now, K evin w ill pay about
$2,000 to redo it. “ Since this im prove-
m ent is a w hole lo t less than w h a t I
was planning on spending, it’s going
to get done a lo t quicker,” K evin says.
“ I f I had spent the $10,000 on new
w indow s, m y house w o uld s till have
the same energy-efficiency problem s
because 90 percent o f m y problem s
are in the attic.”
E n e r g y u p g ra d e s d o n ’t h a v e to
b e e x p e n s iv e .
Caulk that shrinks or
cracks over time will
allow air leaks and
require repair work.
Unlike acrylic caulk,
GE Silicone II silicone
caulk is flexible
and waterproof
0
caulkyourhome.com).
“ In the winter, our utility bills were so high, we only turned up the heat for
company. The rest of the time, we bundled up in sweaters,” says Elizabeth
Babbin, who lives in a two-story stone Colonial in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with
her husband, Doug, and their
4
-year-old son, Leo. “ Looking for answers, we
tried online tools first, but the information didn’t apply to our situation. We
really needed an expert to come in and evaluate our house.”
They got just that with Craig Arbaugh, owner of Residential Energy Solutions
in southeastern Pennsylvania. A certified energy auditor, Arbaugh tested the
Babbins’ home with a blower door and infrared camera. Then he documented
his findings in a
3 0
-page report that prioritized their energy improvement
opportunities. But the benefit wasn’t just dollars and cents. “The other thing we
found beneficial,” says Elizabeth, “was learning how to make our house more
comfortable. That was something we just didn’t get with the online audit.”
At the Babbin house, Arbaugh estimated that sealing air gaps would cost
$ 4 2 0
for an annual savings of $
5 6 0
, which would pay itself back in less than a
year. Upgrading the floor and wall insulation in a room over the garage was
estimated to cost
$ 7 3 5
and save
$ 2 7 0
annually for a payback period of about
two and a half years. To repair and seal duct work would cost
$ 5 7 2
for an
annual savings of $
4 4 0
, and a payback period of
a little more than one year. Comfort? Priceless.
:
To walk through one
family’s energy audit
step by step, see
BHG.com/energyaudits
1 0 2
APRIL 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTO: (CAULK) MARTY BALDWIN
