Weatherizing
Your Home
By H.D. Nelson
The average
U.S. household spends over $1,300 per year on their home utility bills
for heating or cooling. Unfortunately, a large part of that energy
is wasted unnecessarily. We Americans waste, through poorly insulated
windows and doors, about as much energy as we get from the Alaskan
pipeline every year. The typical home loses over 25% of its heat through
its windows. However, by using a few simple inexpensive energy-efficient
measures, we can reduce our energy bills up to 50%.
Simple energy
efficient improvements also make your home more comfortable, and keep
paying you back long after the cost to fix the problems is paid. By
properly weatherizing your home, you’ll save energy and money
and help the environment by reducing pollution and conserving our
precious and limited natural resources.
Attic Insulation
Only about 1 in 5 homes built before 1980 are well insulated. The
fastest and most cost efficient way to reduce energy loss is to increase
the volume of insulation where it is easily accessible, like crawl
spaces or attics. The attic has the easiest accessibility and since
heat rises, a properly insulated attic will do wonders for comfort
and cost savings. Insulation is measured in R-values. The higher the
R-value, the better your exterior walls and roofs will resist the
transfer of heat. In the Pacific NW, it is recommended that the attic
have R-38.
During installation
wear proper gear such as long-sleeve shirts, gloves, mask. Also bring
a drop light to hang from the rafters. You will also need a utility
knife to cut the insulation and a couple of boards to span the ceiling
rafters and give you a place to stand. Follow the instructions that
come with the insulation. If you purchased batts, which usually come
in 8’ lengths, simply place them between the rafters above your
ceiling. If you install rolls of insulation, simply unroll them the
full length of the attic.
Start at one end
of the attic and work your way across, making sure there are no gaps
between the insulation runs. If the ceiling joists are visible, run
the insulation between the joists.
Do not block the
soffit or eave vents. Proper airflow in the attic is very important.
If they look obstructed, remove the insulation blocking the airflow.
Do not cover up exposed light fixtures or doorbell transformers. Be
careful not to step on any electrical wires.
To complete the
job, you should also attach insulation to the attic side of the attic
access door. This can be done by separately stapling sturdy twine
in a criss-cross pattern to hold the insulation in place. You should
immediately notice a cooler home in summer and a warmer home in winter.
Weatherstripping
The constant use of a home’s exterior doors means that the weatherstripping
lining installed where the door comes in contact with the doorframe
wears out eventually. The entire surround of your exterior doors should
have quality weather stripping so that when the door is shut, a seal
forms to prevent air intrusion.
There are plastic,
vinyl, rubber, and foam weatherstrip kits that can easily be installed
with a hammer, screwdriver, knife, and tin snips. The bottom of the
door has a threshold. Most new homes have an adjustable threshold
that is raised or lowered with screws to keep the bottom of the door
sealed.
If you don’t
have one like this, you can install a continuous piece of weatherstripping
along the inside bottom of the door called a door sweep. It is a two-part
system where the metal strip attaches to the door, and to this is
attached a flexible rubber strip called a sweep that seals the door
when shut. When installing a door sweep, look closely to see if light
comes through the bottom of the door. If so, adjust the sweep until
no light comes through at the bottom of the door.
Caulking
To check your home for air tightness, wait for a windy day, light
a stick of incense, and hold it to your doors, windows, electrical
outlets, and plumbing pipes. If the smoke from the incense flows in
a horizontal line, then you have discovered an air leak.
Most caulk is
sold in 10-ounce tubes. Place a tube in a caulking gun, and cut a
small angled opening on the tip. While caulking keep a damp cloth
to wipe the excess caulk from the cracks, rinsing frequently in warm
water to have a clean wipe rag. Start at one end of the crack and
continue until the void is filled.
Make sure you
use interior caulk for indoor work, and exterior caulk for outdoor
applications. Caulks that are 100% silicone, do not readily accept
paint. “Siliconized” caulks will work just fine for you.
They have a very long life; they can be painted; excess is easily
cleaned up with water; and can be purchased at all hardware stores,
home centers, and paint companies. These “siliconized” caulks
come in a variety of colors including clear and white.
Caulk areas such
as the sides of doors, brick molding around entry doors, windows,
dryer vents, cable and tv lines running into the house, nail holes,
hose bib outlets, and caulk the cracks where your walls meet your
roof overhang. Wait at least one week before painting.
REACH Can Help
The Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program (REACH) provides
weatherization services at no cost to households that qualify. For
more information, contact Robin Buchholz at Oregon Housing & Community
Services, (503) 963-2283 or robin.buchholz@hcs.state.or.us. |
