Reduce Your Heating Bills This Winter

Imagine leaving a window open all winter long -- the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, fireplace or clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.

These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause heat to pour out and the cold outside air to rush in -- costing you higher heating bills.

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. Most homeowners are well aware of the benefits caulk and weatherstripping provide 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

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, leaving only a thin, unsealed, sheet of plywood.

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, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door -- do you see any light coming through? These are gaps add up to a large opening where your heated/cooled air leaks out 24 hours a day. 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

Sixty-five percent, or 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 research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall heating-energy consumption by 30 percent.

A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter 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 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.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a fireplace draftstopper. Available from Battic Door, a company known for their energy conservation products, a fireplace draftstopper is an inflatable pillow that seals the damper, eliminating any air leaks. The pillow is removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after.

Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts

In many homes, the room with the clothes dryer is the coldest room in the house. 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.

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.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal. This 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.

About The Author

Mark D. Tyrol is a Professional Engineer specializing in cause and origin of construction defects. He developed several residential energy conservation products including an attic stair cover and a fireplace draftstopper. To learn more visit www.batticdoor.com.

mark@batticdoor.com

---

Plastic Applied to the Picnic Table?

There are many styles of picnic tables on the market,... Read More

Electrical Safety and Power Tools

Power tools are one of the greatest conveniences for getting... Read More

An Interview with Design Psychology Expert Jeanette Fisher

Interview with Jeanette Fisher by Gary Anderson, of ... Read More

A Guide to Home Dehumidifiers

It can be difficult to choose from among the countless... Read More

Create a Luxurious Laundry Room

Give your home a luxurious feel with a beautiful laundry... Read More

Sofa slipcovers - Give your home an instant makeover!

Sofa slipcovers are designed to be easy to fit over... Read More

Natural Gas vs Charcoal Grills ? Which One Is Right For You?

Barbequing outdoors is a pleasure that anyone can partake in... Read More

Things to Consider when Buying a Hot Tub or Jacuzzi Tub

We recently purchased a new Hot Tub and Gazebo from... Read More

Luxurious Whirlpool Baths Aren?t Just for the Rich and Famous

A Jacuzzi has been popular since the 40's. We stopped... Read More

Where Did We Get Clocks From Anyway?

A clock is simply a device that measures time. Typical... Read More

Finishing Your Basement Can be Very Rewarding

Transforming your home's basement into a finished space can prove... Read More

Guide to Bathroom Design

The first step is to plan the design ? as... Read More

How to Remodel A Small Bathroom

Not all bathrooms can be lavish spaces with whirlpool tubs... Read More

In The Mood

Creating a Designer Home With LightingTraditionally, spring is the time... Read More

The Smart Way To Look At Home Improvements

What home improvements really pay off when the time comes... Read More

A Few Concrete Suggestions

Up until a few years ago, my professional experience was... Read More

Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

Any remodeling idea for a small kitchen must address the... Read More

Use Ladders Safely

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that each year more... Read More

Kitchen Cabinets are The Soul of Your Kitchen

Kitchen cabinets reflect the heart and soul of the homeowner.... Read More

All You Need To Know About The Feng Shui Bagua Map

The feng shui bagua map is an octagonal shaped map... Read More

The Advantages of Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings

Steel is a remarkable material that has been steadily increasing... Read More

Log Homes - Is a Log Home In Your Future?

Many people dream about a log home in their future... Read More

Ceiling Fans Look Great and Save You Money

It doesn't matter if you live in a hot climate... Read More

Light Up Your Life With Feng Shui

Feng Shui (pronounced Foong Shway or Fung Shoy) is the... Read More

Why Cant We Kill Too?

Why does big business have all the fun? We fix... Read More