Tuscarawas County Real Estate Info.

Attic and Basement Provide Home Energy Efficiency

Building homes that are designed for maximum energy efficiency give home owners long-term savings and environmental benefits to mother nature .

What are some home improvements folks are making to make their  homes more energy efficient?

One couple in the town of Plymouth, New Hampshire recently invited the public and local media to visit their new home, which is still a work in progress. The Laconia (NH) Citizen reported that even though it was a 30 degree day, the temperature in the unfinished basement was over 42 degrees because of the efficient construction.

The Citizen noted that this house is being weatherized with help from insulated concrete forms (ICF), which are actually made of foam insulation and are kept as part of the wall construction. The paper added that these ICFs can reduce heat expenses by 41 percent and cooling needs by 30 percent.

Energy efficient homes cost up to 20 percent more in construction costs upfront, but that these investments can pay for themselves in just a few years in the form of energy savings. If you already have a home, make necessary adjustments to your home month by month can make drastic improvements in home energy savings.

Air Sealing and Weatherizing your home are two of the most importanta aspects of making your home energy efficient.  This serves as a reminder to homeowners that they don’t need to own a brand new house to enjoy the benefits of energy efficiency.

Insulation plays a key role in creating a thermal envelope in your home to lock in heat during the winter and to keep the heat our during the summer. Your attic is the first point of energy efficiency. The second is your basement. Both of these elements play a major role in keeping a well balanced temperature throughout your home. If one or the other is out of wack, it will throw you whole inner-climate into inefficient energy usage. This is where energy waste is generated.

Make sure both your attic and basement are air sealed and insulated well.

Tallyho!