I have gradually worked toward tightening up the thermal envelope of my home.
- The apartment was built sometime in the late eighteen hundreds.
Most of the renovations made before my family moved in were not handled respectfully. The former owners particularly prioritized cost savings over quality. The windows they installed were single-paned plus no one bothered to respectfully caulk around them; None of the exterior doors closed tightly. The furnace plus air conditioner device were never professionally took care of. The attic lacked insulation. Because of the age plus size of the house, every project is time-consuming, labor-intensive plus lavish. Due to the weather extremes in our area, the cost of heating plus cooling adds up to about fifty percent of our apartment energy usage. There is immense potential to trim expenses. It took me nearly ten years to upgrade 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 particularly conscientious about insulating plus caulking around them. I spent a particularly unpleasant weekend installing insulation in the attic. I’ve bought 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 changes for the furnace plus air conditioner unit, I’ve enrolled into a repair plan with a local Heating as well as A/C corporation. I also schedule testing for the ductwork every three years. Because of my efforts, the biweekly energy bills are a bit lower plus the entire apartment is far more comfortable. I am still planning to upgrade the roof plus eventually, invest into a higher efficiency heating plus cooling system.