Feb 20, 2012

Home Energy Audit

A home energy audit is the first step towards making your home more energy efficient. It can help you identify air leaks in your home, and give you an idea of how efficiently your home heating and cooling systems are functioning. It can point you towards the specific items that need to be addressed in order to minimize energy loss in your home.

Dramatic Cost Savings

If done right, a home energy audit can save you hundreds of dollars in energy costs annually. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that home energy consumption can be reduced by up to 30 percent annually merely by reducing drafts inside the house. An assessment can show how to reduce energy costs even further by conserving electricity and hot water. Finally, power companies may advise installing home automation products to make controlling your home’s heating, cooling, and appliances easier and more energy efficient.

Do-It-Yourself Energy Audits

You can do a home energy audit on your own, or have a professional do it for you. With a do-it-yourself assessment, the main goal should be to identify and plug the most obvious sources of energy leaks in your home. This means looking for air leaks and undesirable air-flow under doors and windows, through electrical outlets, baseboards, switch plates, through the attic or through window and door frames. In addition, you also should look for air seepage at the point where your walls and ceiling meet, and also where the walls and the floor meet.

Locating Home Energy Leaks

As part of a do-it-yourself home energy audit, you should also check to see if you need to add more insulation in certain areas in order to reduce energy loss. The attic, especially, is a huge source of energy loss, so make sure the hatch to the attic is properly insulated. If you have an unfinished basement, see if the ceiling has at least one layer of insulation. Also, check to see if there are any openings to the exterior of the building caused by pipes, chimneys and air ducts.

Sealing and Insulating

Once you have identified all the sources of energy loss, you should seal them using either weather stripping, caulk or other appropriate material. Verify if you need to insulate your hot water pipes, water heater and furnace. Seal all cracks in walls, the foundation, and the siding, and apply weather-resistant caulking on the exterior of all doors and windows. Replace your water heater filter at least once a year to minimize energy consumption.

Professional Energy Audits

In case you do not want to do all this yourself, you can get a professional services firm to do one for you. Professional residential energy assessment services typically are able to do a much more thorough audit of your home than you would be able to do on your own. Many of them use techniques such as thermal scanning, air infiltration tests, infrared cameras, blower door tests and furnace efficiency tests to identify potential weaknesses in your home. This kind of a home energy audit can be fairly expensive to conduct, but the long term energy savings usually make the investment worth it.

Home Security News

Installing a Home Security System?

Did you know that installing a security system is not only a great way to minimize the risk of a break-in or burglary, but it can also lower your home insurance payments? Insurance companies recognize that homes are indeed more secure when they have a home security system installed by one of the top alarm companies.

TopAlarmCompanies.com offers quotes from only the best, most well known business and home security companies. By working with leading providers like FrontPoint, Vivint, GE, Pinnacle, Smith & Wesson, and, of course, the ADT Security Systems Authorized Dealer Program, we can assure you that we are providing quotes from the highest rated security companies in the business.

Not to mention, these six companies use state-of-the-art technology to keep up with the changing market. Features like wireless alarms and touch screen control panels are what consumers want, and these companies offer them along with expert technicians and a skilled customer support staff.

Protect America has been given a five star rating for four years in a row by TopConsumerReviews.com. With their line of affordable home security packages starting at about $30 and free installation, Protect America is offering home security at a price most Americans can afford.

Vivint is one of the most modern, high-tech home security companies. With services that integrate your security system with energy management and home automation, Vivint makes a compelling, "green" option for people that want a top home security company.

ADT Security Systems - ADT is certainly the largest and most well known security provider. Not only do they work with homes and businesses, but their security services are so sophisticated that government agencies also use them.

Protection 1 trails only ADT in the number of customers it has in the US. And, with 60 branch offices, Protection 1 also has locations in nearly every US state, making them a home and business security company that you can even contact in person if need be.

FrontPoint Security touts that their wireless security systems are "virtually undefeatable." The company also notes that it has no hidden fees, all the while providing modern, high-tech home security features like a security app for your smart phone.

Security Networks boasts an A+ Better Business Bureau rating is just one indication of the great customer service they offer. Making use of services like WeatherNet for alerts on dangerous weather, and IDnet for identity protection, Security Networks truly strives to make all aspects of your life more secure, not just your home.