3 Basic Tools and Techniques You Can Use to Make Your Home Energy Efficient
When most people think about using tools, they imagine themselves using a hammer, saw or screwdriver. There are other less obvious tools that can be used to increase the energy efficiency in your home. Some simple tools combined with these DIY techniques can really make a difference and help to lower your energy bills.
1. Using a Candle to Identify Air Leaks:
The humble candle can be a great way to identify air leaks throughout your home. There are three other things that we have to do before we start the process.
Turn off your air conditioning and heating system fan.
Close all the windows and door in your home.
Turn your kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans.
Next, we light the candle and move through the home to areas where we suspect there may be an air leak. This is usually around doors, windows, electrical outlets and baseboards. If the flame of the candle flickers in these locations, you know that you have an air leak. The exhaust fans are pulling air out, and this causes air to flow into your home through any air leaks that are present. Take note of where the leaks are located and move on to the next step to seal them up.
2. Sealing the Gaps with Caulk:
Caulk is one of the easiest, cheapest and most effective materials that you can use to seal up gaps. An exterior grade acrylic latex caulk will last up to 15 years which makes it a great choice in many cases. Outside your home, seal around electrical boxes, plumbing, windows and exterior light fixtures. This type of caulk does less well indoors or in wetter areas, so a better choice, in this case, would be a vinyl latex caulk, which will need replacing every five years. Remove any old caulk, clean the area thoroughly, work slowly and apply the caulk evenly to ensure all the gaps are filled. You can smooth the line of caulk using a wet finger, but use clean water only and don’t lick your finger.
3. Sealing Air Ducts with Mastic Sealant:
Leaks in your air ducts can cost you to waste a lot of money and an easy way to improve their efficiency is to seal them up. We do this with a good quality mastic sealant that can be purchased at any good home improvement store. Some people are tempted to use duct tape (or other materials) to seal holes and gaps, but this is not a good solution, and it never lasts very long. Another problem is that some of the air ducts in your home may not be very accessible. In this case, it may be necessary to hire a professional to get the job done, as they will have the tools and expertise to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
As you can see, these three simple tools and techniques are easy to acquire and use. Using some or all of these methods will help you to locate and seal any air leaks in your home. This will improve the energy efficiency of your home and lower your energy bills as well.