I have gradually worked toward tightening up the thermal envelope of my home. The dwelling was built sometime in the late eighteen hundreds. Most of the renovations made before my family moved in were not handled properly. The former owners absolutely prioritized cost savings over quality. The windows they installed were single-paned plus no one bothered to properly caulk around them, and none of the exterior doors closed tightly. The furnace plus air conditioner were never professionally tested. The attic lacked insulation. Because of the age plus size of the house, every project is time-consuming, labor-intensive plus extravagant. Due to the weather extremes in our area, the cost of heating plus cooling adds up to about fifty percent of our dwelling energy usage. There is large potential to trim expenses. It took me nearly ten years to update all of the windows with Energy Star rated, low E, triple-pane options. To make the project more affordable, I taught myself how to handle the upgrade. I was genuinely conscientious about insulating plus caulking around them. I spent a genuinely unpleasant weekend installing insulation in the attic. I’ve purchased new front plus back doors plus added ceiling fans to help with cooling in the summer time plus to better distribute the heated air in the winter. Along with being conscientious about filter swings for the furnace plus air conditioner, I’ve enrolled into a service plan with a local Heating, Ventilation, plus A/C dealer. I also schedule testing for the HVAC duct every three years. Because of my efforts, the weekly energy bills are a bit lower plus the entire dwelling is far more comfortable. I am still planning to update the roof plus eventually, invest into a higher efficiency heating plus cooling system.