Taking energy saving measures
My local area experiences four separate seasons.
There are benefits to the variety of weather. We enjoy months of warmth and sunshine as well as cold and snow. We get to swim and kayak as well as snowmobile and ski. The autumn leaves are beautiful, and the ripe squash, tomatoes, zucchini, grapes and apples at that time of year are delicious. In the spring, we look forward to the tulips, daffodils, hyacinth and lilacs. Our temperature can swing from negative twenty five to the upper nineties. We deal with excessive as well as insufficient humidity, high winds, bitter wind chill and torrential downpours. The year round weather extremes make heating and cooling especially important. Temperature control adds up to about fifty percent of our household energy bills. I am always on the lookout for new and better ways to minimize energy waste and reduce costs. I have installed Energy Star rated, thermal pane windows and meticulously caulked around them. I’ve replaced the exterior doors and added weather stripping to eliminate drafts. I spent a weekend installing insulation into the attic. It was a sweaty, dirty and miserable job but it definitely helped to improve the comfort and efficiency of the home. The attic works as a barrier between the living space and the outdoor elements. Because heat tends to travel to cooler locations, it helps to keep the attic cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I installed ceiling fans to push the heat down from the ceiling in the winter and encourage the heat up and out in the summer. I’ve also enrolled into a maintenance plan with a licensed HVAC contractor. A technician takes care of troubleshooting, inspecting and adjusting the heating and cooling equipment to maximize efficiency and avoid malfunction.