According to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy, Americans spend more than $115 billion each year on fuel and electricity for their homes. The same report revealed that heating and cooling (space conditioning) account for approximately 45 percent of the energy a home consumes. Water heating uses about 14 percent, and appliances and other sources account for about 41 percent. Regardless of whether you make a few small modifications (such as caulking and weather-stripping) to reduce your energy bill -- or if you do something as drastic as design a new, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient dream home -- chances are good you're going to have to lay down some change at the beginning. But energy-saving measures bring delayed gratification, with often significant savings in future energy bills. And according to the DOE, such efforts may reduce the impact of rising fuel costs while improving the state of the environment. The important thing to remember, however, is that making the right choices about energy-efficient products for your home is crucial. Even those of us with the best intentions may later regret our decisions if we select inappropriate products for our homes. How, then, do homeowners determine what their homes need most?

For starters, the DOE recommends an energy audit. These audits pinpoint the areas of your home in which energy is being wasted, and may also determine the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. In addition, audits help homeowners decipher the most cost-effective strategies for reducing their energy bills. You can do a basic audit of your home on your own, examining it for obvious leaks and ensuring that all of your appliances are working efficiently. (For tips on conducting your own home energy audit, contact The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (EREC). It's wise, however, to seek a more thorough audit of your home, given that most of us are only capable of identifying the obvious problems. "House doctors" are well-versed about the pitfalls the average homeowner can't see. House doctors often work in teams and use equipment including infrared cameras, furnace efficiency instruments, blower doors, and surface thermometers that locate inefficiencies that visual inspections cannot find. Some house doctors may analyze homeowners' previous energy bills and prescribe measures to help reduce those costs. The drawback: While comprehensive, such group audits are pricey.

If you don't want to break the bank but don't want to rely on a do-it-yourself audit, either, call your utility company to find out if the company offers energy audits. Utilities who do usually charge either nothing at all or a small fee. While conductors of these audits may not use the high-tech equipment house doctors do -- and they may not examine the performance of your heating system -- it's still likely to be a more thorough examination than you could have pulled off yourself.

Once the audit has been conducted and the verdict is in, homeowners should ask themselves a few questions, according to the DOE. What are your budgetary limits? Which areas of your home are causing your greatest energy losses? How long are you able to wait for the investment to pay for itself in energy savings? How much time and money are you willing to spend on maintenance and repair? And finally, are you investing solely to save on energy bills, or are other factors also important to you?

When you begin setting your priorities for energy efficiency, it's a good idea to start with your heating and cooling systems, since they represent the largest proportion of your energy bill. Believe it or not, measures as simple as caulking, weather-stripping, and insulation -- while perhaps not as slick and high-tech as a state-of-the-art, ground-source heat pump, will bring you bottom-line benefits (in other words, reductions) come energy bill time. In fact, the DOE reports that caulking and weather-stripping may save homeowners more than 10 percent on their energy bills. Although they're usually do-it-yourself ventures, they're well worth your time when you consider that caulking and weather-stripping are most often applied to doors and windows, which account for approximately 33 percent of a home's cumulative heat loss. If you go the high-tech route and decide to install a heating or cooling system in your home, check first to find out if your home is properly weatherized. Since using energy efficiently reduces demands for heating, cooling, and electricity, smaller and less expensive systems may be used.

The usual suspects for heat losses and gains in your home include drafty windows and doors, open fireplace dampers, poorly insulated attics and walls, and cracks and holes in walls. Heat may also escape through light fixtures and switches, electrical outlets, and leaky ducts. In addition, your home appliances play a significant role in your energy bills. Frequent culprits include stoves, refrigerators, hot water heaters, dishwashers, and clothes dryers. Poorly sized and inefficient heating and cooling systems may lead to high energy costs.

Your other options for weatherizing your home are installing insulation, and improving or replacing your windows. Your selection of insulation is particularly important because, according to the DOE, the type and amount of insulation you choose will directly affect your energy costs. Factors to consider include insulative value, cost, flammability, toxicity, durability, and availability. Before you purchase any insulation, make sure the product label meets the criteria established either by the government or the American Society for Testing and Materials. The label should list how much area the insulation may cover, where that insulation may be installed, the fire resistance of the material, and which safety measures should be taken for installation and use. When it's time to install the insulation, you could go it alone if you're adventurous (in that case, make sure you're wearing the proper clothing and taking the necessary precautions against fire hazards), or for time and sanity's sake, you may want to call a certified contractor to do the job.

Published: February 16, 1998

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