More Insulation Can Help Lower Your Energy Costs

The last thing you want to give conditioned air – warm or call – is an escape route outdoors or somewhere else where it can’t do you any good, like an attic or crawl space.

And while insulation is an effective way to plug the leaks, there are degrees of insulation. And probably more places you can insulate than you realize.

So if you’re racking up significant energy bills with no end in sight, don’t panic, insulate!  And here are five effective ways to go about it.

1. Cover windows and glass doors with shades, blinds, drapes or curtains. Glass encourages heat loss and heat loss is blocked when glass is covered.  Warm your house during the winter by opening your blinds or drapes, but close them securely at night to prevent heat loss.

2. Insulate your crawlspaces. If you have any unfinished crawlspaces, you have natural conditioned air escape hatches.  Ask a home center consultant for the best way to insulate exposed crawlspace ceiling joists.  You also can seal off the intersection of ceiling and basement walls to prevent conditioned air from escaping and outdoor air from  entering.

3. Tiny spaces can leak air, too. Even tiny, often unnoticed spaces – like electrical switches and sockets – can be exit ramps for conditioned air.  With a simple application of expansion foam or other code-compliant insulating material, you can further prevent air from escaping to the great unknown.

4. Apply caulk around your windows. Before you apply new caulk, first remove the old caulking or dried paint with a putty knife, stiff brush, or solvent.  For best results, always apply caulk during dry weather when the outdoor temperature is above 45 F. Low humidity is important to prevent cracks from swelling with moisture. Warm temperatures are necessary so the caulk will set properly and adhere to the surface.

5. Beef up your attic insulation. If you don’t have attic insulation, or enough of it, you’re losing warm and cool air, depending on the season, in large quantities.  Over time, the integrity of attic or in-wall insulation deteriorates; in other words, it doesn’t last forever. Can you even remember when it was installed?  If not, this might be a good time to have it checked.

Here’s another great way to ensure your heating or AC system’s efficient operation:  contact GBT Heating and Air today to request our cleaning and inspection service.  With annual preventative maintenance, we can do more than help lower your energy costs.  We also can help prevent system problems while providing an added measure of safety for your entire safety.  Has it been a year or longer since system was last performed?  If so, contact GBT today.