Insulation is important in the winter for obvious reasons, but did you know it also helps to keep your home cool in the summer?
Though insulation may seem obvious in this day and age, older homes often have very little or no insulation.
Because heating and cooling accounts for 50-70% of all energy costs, adding insulation is a critical step for anyone interested in lowering their energy bill.
It can be difficult to invest money in something you can’t even see day-to-day, but in the overall performance of your home, it’s critically important. And it’s becoming less and less hard on your pocketbook to install these much-needed updates. There are rebate programs through Puget Sound Energy and Cascade Natural Gas, and in some cases, rebate matching through the Community Energy Challenge (CEC).
Check out this great article: for a thorough description of the types of insulation, where in your home to put it, and much more!
The article also discusses geeky but useful things like R-Value of insulation. Turns out it stands for Resistance to heat flow. That makes sense! The DOE recommends an R-Value of R-49 for attics. And the better your insulation, the less hard your heating and cooling system will have to work, and therefore the longer before it breaks down. Win-win-win.
So, how do you know how much insulation you have in your home and where? Well, if you are handy and don’t mind wading through it yourself there are DIY ways of checking for insulation. However, if you’d rather leave it to the professionals, a Home Performance Assessment will tell you definitively where the insulation is. An Infrared Camera, used in most assessments, can look right through your walls!
If you’re like me, you thought you understood them. Tankless…. pretty obvious, right? NO TANK. But like most things, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. There’s actually a pretty big debate when it comes to whether to tank or not to tank. And, because hot water accounts for 20% of people’s energy bills (on average), it’s something to seriously consider. Let’s walk through some of what a Tankless is and is not to dispel some common misconceptions.
Tankless is also not always the most cost-effective choice in a replacement situation. What? Yes. While the constant-heating of a standard tank is energy-intensive, and seems inefficient, if you’re family is using up all the hot water in the tank throughout the day, it’s basically acting like a tankless. Let’s say a family of 4 is taking a couple showers, a bath, a load of dishes, and a load or two of laundry per day (this is, coincidentally what our day often looks like at home). With our 40 gallon tank, we are using that sucker up, over and over.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) – “Indoor air quality” refers to the potential impact of your home’s air on occupant health and comfort. IAQ is judged on the presence of humidity, dust, radon gas, mold, fiberglass particulate, carbon monoxide and many other conditions. IAQ should be considered a high priority as it will affect both the long and short term health of occupants. Poor IAQ can exacerbate or cause: asthma, sinus infections, chronic respiratory ailments, eczema, fatigue, headaches, and many other issues.
Just like furnace maintenance, gas stove and insert maintenance has a long checklist that should be diligently followed by your technician. They should be able to quickly rattle off or give you a printed list of all the items they will be inspecting and cleaning. Here is a great reference of the minimum to look for when your technician visits:
The response to this question is almost exactly the same as in Part I of this series. The glass on the fireplace oftentimes needs to be cleaned more than once per year, especially if it’s your main source of heat. Major buildup of the minerals produced by combustion can cause permanent clouding if the glass is not cleaned regularly. But some units can be tricky to get into. Give your HVAC service contractor a call if in doubt.
Any time of the day or night, the service crew should be ready to help. A large number of trained technicians on staff is key, so your wait time is minimized. One motto: “Your emergency is our emergency,” is a comforting idea when your family is cold and time is of the essence! And just in case you’re in the midst of one such emergency, 
Look for certifications. Some heating companies will have their awards, designations, certifications, etc., on their website. These matter. One example: Carrier has a very selective process to designate Factory Authorized Dealers. They use these criteria: the job is done Expertly, Efficiently, Professionally, Right Technically, with the Right Parts, and Right for the Environment. Not all companies meet these standards. Just one more safety net to look for!
Mold growth and dampness in buildings are indeed major concerns, but this is nothing new in the building industry and it is certainly not isolated to ‘energy efficient’ buildings. Let’s start by what can cause mold in any building; warm, moist air, from people showering, cooking or just occupying a room, coming in contact with a cooler surface.