There is no doubt that spending a little money in order to save a lot is a very smart idea, but things do not always work out that way do they? The best way to ensure that your outgoings are reduced is probably to start saving on your heating bills. And we all know that energy efficiency is the way to go on that score, so let’s look at how to tighten up those gaps for not a lot of cash!
Insulation
Okay, a thousand bucks is no small change but we reckon you can get that back over a year or so as long as you take care of business from the less obvious angles. We lose heaps of heat through poorly insulated weak spots and the first place to rectify this issue is going to be your attic. Get a high R rated insulation medium and think about laying it directly in your attic floor area. R-20 offers 6 inches of warmth and you can get around 40 bags of this for around $250 if you shop around.
Sealing
Plugging those expensive gaps is the way to go next and if you splash out about $200 on caulk, expandable foam and a bunch of rigid insulation, you’ll be good to go. The way to find these bad boys is to first close all of your exterior doors and windows and the switch off your heaters. Turn on all of your exhaust fans and then start checking from the outside to see where this air is escaping from. It is a simple building pressure test but it does work. Once you have located the weak spots, you can get busy with sealing up these suckers.
Ventilation
Although you have successfully insulated your attic, you will also need to attend to the ventilation issues. This is for the air-conditioning’s benefits and to release that trapped air you should invest in some aluminium ridge vents. These allow the hot air to escape without compromising the attic’s insulation properties. $200 will get you a bunch of 10 foot vents for your little upstairs hideaway.
Warm Water
We lose an incredible amount of energy from a poorly insulated hot water tank, almost 18% in fact! The standard jackets that come with these appliances really are not up to the job, so get yourself a proper one instead. Once you have wrapped this around your poor tank, get some foam pipe insulation and give those boys a winter treat as well. These should cost you no more than $50 for the lot.
Thermostat
If you are struggling to heat your exterior doors toronto building and the temperature is all over the place, it is probably time to invest in a decent thermostat. These will do the job properly and you will save a bundle in heating bills. Why not splash out on a super model for $200 and you’ll still have enough dough left over for a new kettle at the end of the day!
Any Change?
Here’s hoping that you follow these tips and you will save far more off your next two years of heating bills if you do!
Author Bio: Nancy Baker is a freelance blogger and an ace creative write with many years of experience writing for top blogs. Nancy has written on a myriad of topics and has written several posts for us.
