TIP 1: Wrap Your Home in Insulation – “The More, The Better!”
Proper insulation is probably the most important factor you can control in creating an energy-efficient home. I always say insulation is like chocolate, the more you have, the better! On average, ½ of your home’s heating and cooling will escape through walls (35%), windows (25%), floor (15%) and roof (25%). Therefore, the first thing you should do to determine where insulation is needed is to scan your home with a thermal radiometer or infrared scanner in order to detect where your home is leaking heat. (You could hire a professional energy auditor to come out and do an infrared scan of your house and produce pretty rainbow color pictures, like the one above, or you could do it yourself with a cheap spot radiometer like this Black and Decker Thermal Leak Detector).
While most homes are certainly under insulated, there is such a thing as over insulating which cause cause over heating in warmer months. In colder climates where air conditioning is not used in summer, too much insulation reduces heating bills in winter but causes such extreme overheating in summer that it becomes a significant issue. Studies show that there is a specific width at which the energy saving benefit of insulation plateaus (usually around 150 mm for cellulose insulation) which makes it unnecessary to spend extra money and resources insulating beyond this point.
Hi Jill,
This is Cat from FM! I just started reading this book called “Cradle to Cradle,” and thought of your site. I think it would be an interesting read for you. We are really accustomed to thinking of industry and the environment at odds at each other, where everything is built and produced based on a cradle-to-grave model, but these guys write about how architecture and products can be designed from the outset that after their useful lives, they can be used for something new. Instead of applying environmental solutions in isolation and tacking new technology onto the same old model when building, and trying very hard to “not be bad to the environment,” the authors explore ways that something can be built with completely positive intentions in mind.
Great article Eric. I agree with the insulation aspect, especially in the colder climates of the world. We blow recycled newspaper insulation in the exterior walls of our investment properties and have cut the energy bills in half instantly on the heating side. And it also allows the house to stay cool in the summer.
Matt Stookey
Blogger on http://Greenhabbing101.com
Like Brit I also live in an apartment which means that I can’t do many of the tips listed, still an interesting post with lots of useful advice.
My house has a HUGE magnolia tree to the west. It definitely shades the house but it also cuts way down on natural light from the windows.
I put in two sun tunnels. One in the living room and one in the kitchen. I love them! Makes a huge difference in both rooms.
Good suggestion on the Black & Decker Thermal leak detector. I bought one at Lowes, found it very useful. Of course I’d like an infra-red camera but they’re expensive. The downside is once you know where the problems are you have to do something about it. Insulation has failed for some reason in several exterior walls, not sure what to do about it. Don’t want to tear everything down to the studs. Here’s a review of the Black & Decker tool: http://bit.ly/gKaEwu
YOU FORGOT STEP #1 An Energy Audit
YOU FORGOT STEP #2 AIR SEAL !!!
Anreise-
I think your comment is unfair. The point of this article was to convey helpful pointers for homeowners concisely in an easy-to-read article. This is not a 100 page manual, and we cannot include every single possible issue that a homeowner needs to know about insulation. It is a good idea to get a professional audit, and that is why we suggest that to readers in the paragraph called ‘Types of insulation’. I think saying ‘Boo’ and claiming we didn’t consult experts is hugely unfair. I can’t really think of more of an expert on greenbuilding than Eric Corey Freed. To expect that everything in the universe about insulation would be included in the short few paragraphis in this post is an unrealistic expectation. Even as is the article is 7 pages long!
Step one leaves out plenty of critical information on air sealing, condensation issues, and climate-specific considerations (cellulose is a liability in very moist climates.) Just adding insulation to your home can actually have detrimental effects and it’s very important to have a professional audit, which may be offered free or cheap via your local utility. This article is great from an architect’s perspective! Boo, inabitat, for publishing something with such a clear lack of information from experts in the field. I’m a huge fan and expect better from you.
There’s so much to know about greening your own home, it can sometimes be overwhelming. Eric does a great job of explaining this in a way that’s easy to understand.
I wish our apartment building would replace the old windows. If I sit anywhere near them during the winter, it’s practically like being outside!
I’ve been telling my dad to insulate his old house for years, maybe this article will help him finally decide to get it done.
Greengrid roofs are awesome and a lot of progressive cities offer tax incentives for installing them that help defer cost.
plenty of useful tips to choose from – passing this onto my parents who own their own home!
Just got a leak detector; looking forward to trying it out!
You’ve got to be careful when adding sprayfoam insulation to the walls of an existing home. It might create moisture traps, which create problems of their own. Namely mold and rot.
Besides, biobased sprayfoam is not as green as it is made out to be: think about all the farmland that is being taken away from food production to create a foam product! And how would you recycle that stuff at the end of the home’s lifecycle?
I was expecting five things and got maybe forty- thats an exhaustive list.
I live in an apartment now, so I can only use a few of these tips, BUT I’m going to save the others for my future green dream home!