from Lenny in Stoughton, WI:
#456
I live in a very old house, my winter heating bills are in the hundreds. How can I cut this expensive bill? I have a boiler for heat. Already wrapped the windows last winter but did not notice any savings.
We recommend an in-home evaluation.
Reducing heating bills in very old homes usually involves reducing the air leakage rate. It can be compared to a plumbing leak that results in high water usage/cost. Air leakage can account for up to 40 percent of the total heat loss of a home. It is especially true of very old homes due to the construction methods used back “in the day” when heating fuel was inexpensive. It is quite common to see huge air leakage pathways from the conditioned (living) space into unconditioned spaces like attics in very old homes.
In conjunction with reducing the air leakage, it is important to have insulation properly installed to reduce the conductive heat loss. There may be many opportunities in your very old house to make those air leakage and insulation upgrades. These measures, properly installed, not only reduce your heating bills, but can vastly improve the comfort and quietness of your home.
To help you determine a practical course of action, we recommend having an in-home evaluation with a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® consultant. They will conduct a conduct a blower door test to reveal those air leaks, as well as a thorough inspection of all the systems in your home and identify opportunities to improve your energy efficiency and lower energy costs. You'll receive a written report of the findings and a list of recommended solutions. That way you can compare the potential savings, cost and Cash-Back Rewards associated with each of the recommendations.
Published Monday, September 14, 2009