| |
| |
|
Home Improvement Information |
|
|
|
Reduce Your Heating Bills This Winter - Overlooked Sources of Heat Loss in the Home
Imagine leaving a window open all winter long - the heat loss, cold drafts, and wasted energy! Well if your home has a folding attic stair, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home! These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause your heat pour out and the cold outside air pour in - costing you higher heating bills, causing cold drafts, and wasting energy. Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. We apply caulk and weatherstripping to these areas to minimize heat loss and cold drafts. But what can you do about the three largest "holes" in your home - the folding attic stair, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes. Attic Stairs: Do you have a folding attic stairway in your house? When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square feet!) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed. And what is installed to cover this opening? A thin, unsealed, un-insulated sheet of plywood! Did you know that your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors? In the winter, the attic space can be very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And what is separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned attic? That thin sheet of plywood! Often a gap can be observed around the perimeter of the door. Try this yourself: at night when it is dark, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door - do you see any light coming through? These are gaps - which add up to a large opening where your heated/cooled air leaks out 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year! This is like leaving a window open all year round! An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling. Fireplaces: Approximately 100 million homes in North America are constructed with wood or gas burning fireplaces. Unfortunately there are negative side effects that the fireplace brings to a home especially during the winter home-heating season. Fireplaces are energy losers! Researchers have studied this to determine the amount of heat loss through a fireplace, and the results are amazing! One remarkable research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall heating energy consumption by 30%! A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter just due to the air leakage and wasted energy caused by fireplaces! Why Does a Home With a Fireplace Have Higher Heating Bills? Hot air rises! Your heated air leaks out any exit it can find, and when your warm heated air is drawn out of your home, cold outside air is drawn in to make up for it. The fireplace is like a giant straw - sucking the heated air from your house. This is like leaving a window open all year round! An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a fireplace draftstopper. A fireplace draftstopper is an inflatable pillow that seals the damper, eliminating any air leaks. The pillow removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after. Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts: Have you ever noticed that the room containing your clothes dryer is the coldest room in your house? Ever wonder why? Your clothes dryer is connected to an exhaust duct that is open to the outdoors. In the winter, cold air leaks in through the duct, through your dryer and into your house, while your heated air just pours right out! Dryer vents use a sheet metal flapper to try to reduce this air leakage. This is very primitive technology that does not provide a positive seal to stop the air leakage. Compounding the problem is that over time, lint clogs the flapper valve causing it to stay open. This is like leaving a window open all year round! An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal! A dryer vent seal will reduce unwanted air infiltration, and keep out pests, bees and rodents as well. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint, and moisture to escape. If your home has a folding attic stair, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, you can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes. At Battic Door, we have developed low-cost, green solutions to these and other energy-conservation related issues. For more information please visit our website www.batticdoor.com or send a S.A.S.E. to P.O. Box 15, Mansfield, MA 02048. We manufacture and distribute low-cost, high-value, air-leakage control energy conservation products for the three largest intentional openings in the house - the fireplace, the clothes dryer exhaust duct, and the pull-down attic stair. Our customers are homeowners, weatherization firms and programs, municipals, utilities and contractors. We also sell our product at a wholesale discount to distributors.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
In The Mood Creating a Designer Home With LightingTraditionally, spring is the time when many of us think about redecorating or remodelling a room in our home and we begin skimming through glossy magazines, or visiting showrooms for ideas. The results always look stunning, but how do you replicate 'that' look in your own home when your rooms are probably a fraction of the size of those featured in home interior publications? Even if you had the time, energy and resources to purchase exactly the same products that appear in a beautifully prepared photograph or showroom, somehow they never seem to look the same in your own home. Gas Stoves - Pros and Cons Gas stoves are those preferred by professionals. The heat distribution is more even than that of electric stoves, and heat precision is more accurate. Styles And Varieties Of Locking Mailboxes For Sale Locking mailboxes made from durable, weatherproof materials are highly desirable due to the built in safety features and the long-lasting exterior. Your mail will arrive safely and be waiting for you upon your return when you purchase and install a locking mailbox on your property. Interior Design For Children Interior design for children is one of the most fun, delightful aspects of the business if you ask me. It is so fun because children are limitless as far as their creativity and imaginations are concerned. What You Should Know About Laminate Flooring Laminate flooring imitates the aspect of traditional wood. Their biggest advantage is that they are very easy to install and very durable. Basic Methods of Foundation Waterproofing It is absolutely necessary to waterproof the foundation of your home. Foundation waterproofing is a critical step in maintaining your home's value and an important measure for preventing very serious damage. Buyers Guide For Modern Mailboxes Modern mailboxes are made predominately from cast aluminum or stainless steel, and will give you many years of reliable service. A stylish, fashionable, modern mailbox will send a message of superior taste and an eye for value. The Techno-Witch and Magickal Appliances My favourite episode of Bugs Bunny is the one where Bugs turns into a witch and says: "We ride vacuum cleaners now".It is true that the vacuum cleaner can be substituted for a broom to do a spell. Selecting the Right Air Compressor for Your Air Tool An air compressor is used to power air tools such as spray guns, air sanders, air wrenches, air hammers, and much more. While not as widely used, air tools are more powerful than traditional electric power tools. Your Home is Your Symphony "Dr. Carl Sagan once wrote, "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. Making a Pen with Your New Wood Lathe So you just purchased a wood lathe but do not know what kind of project you should start out with. As soon as the right amount of skill is obtained, beautiful pieces of woodwork can be created with a wood lathe. The Art of Gutter Cleaning The gutters on your home are starting to overflow so it's time to clean the gutters on your home. Many homeowners do this project each year to properly maintain their homes. Apartment Inspection Checklist You have found an apartment you like and you are eager to move in this lovely place. Hold on! Before you sign the lease with the landlord, some inspection is necessary and it might save you a lot of trouble. Keeping Stone Floors in Tip Top Condition I had a customer call me to make a complaint about the Limestone floor we had restored and sealed for them. The building is a state of the art facility in the heart of Covent Garden, in London. Planning Kitchen Remodeling Planning kitchen remodeling If you are planning to remodel your kitchen then various aspects need to be considered before you begin. Given below is a series of steps and guides you can keep in mind to make kitchen remodeling a fun-filled, constructive event. Log Homes for Beginners - 10 Steps to Success For those who may be thinking of building a new log home and enjoying the lifestyle that comes with it, there are a number of steps you should take to make the process smoother. 1. How To Choose The Canvas For Your Awning The main factor for the canvas for your awning, it's to choose to do in PVC, because will be light and malleable.Between their advantages we have the following ones:It's resistant to the UV raysAllows any colorThey possess some protection coatings, as the following:Not to allow the fire propagationWith blockade against UV rays (with great resistance against the effects of the ultraviolet rays that discolour along the time)Fungicides (addictive that avoid the formation of mould and stains)Non oxidizer, to avoid the appearance of iron stainsAddictive to avoid negative effects to the aesthetics and the brightness, that could damage the coating and to reduce the useful life of the canvas)A varnish layer or lacquer in the coating (the varnish is not only designated for protection of the canvas from the UV rays, but also improves the self-cleaning characteristics; one of the used material for that is the Tedlar). Persian Carpets - Popular Styles There are numerous styles of Persian carpets. In fact there are over 300 different variations. How to Be Your Air Conditioner's Best Friend There are a few things you can do to take care of your air conditioner and make its life a little longer and a little easier.How does your air conditioner work? Simply stated, an air conditioning unit removes heat from the air and blows it outside with an outdoor fan. Prefabricated Home Packages This is by no means an exhaustive list of what's available in the area of prefabricated homes and buildings. This article is to introduce you to the world prefab.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
