Welcome back to chilly season! For many homeowners in Grand Haven, MI, the heat is already on and you may have received a bill or two reflecting your heating expenses. Heating costs can add up fast, but heat is essential to the safety and comfort of you and your loved ones in the wintertime.
Still, WMGB knows there are effective ways to boost your home’s efficiency, resulting in lower heating costs! Two of the most effective strategies to increase your home’s energy efficiency are by replacing drafty windows and adding to (or replacing) your insulation. Let’s look at the pros of each home improvement project and learn some of the signs that your home would benefit from one or both!
Signs You Need Window Replacement
Windows are often blamed for draftiness because they are such an obvious gap in your home’s structure. If your windows need replacing from a normal use perspective, then replacing them is smart! But assuming that window replacement will automatically upgrade your home’s efficiency is not necessarily true.
Energy efficient windows can be costly! You should only plan to upgrade your home’s windows if they have visible gaps allowing air into and out of your home, or if you can you feel a significant draft when you stand by them. If you don’t have these problems, you might find that replacing your windows isn’t the key to improving your home’s efficiency, or that it’s only part of the puzzle.
Signs You Need Insulation Upgrades & Air Sealing
Old insulation loses its effectiveness very quietly. Oftentimes homeowners will notice gradual changes like rising energy costs and increasingly hot upstairs rooms in the warmer months. Both of these are symptoms of poor insulation. You may need to supplement your home’s existing insulation or replace old insulation altogether if pests or moisture have gotten in contact with it. Need to replace wall insulation? WMGB has you covered!
Air sealing is a lesser-known approach to combating inefficiency at home, but it can make an enormous difference in the comfort of your house, and decrease heating and cooling costs! Air sealing is the process of making your home airtight to preserve your conditioned air, humidity levels, and indoor air quality (IAQ).
A professional insulation technician can boost your air sealing by adding spray foam insulation to fill gaps throughout your home left behind by electricians and plumbers during previous home projects. WMGB has seen first-hand the huge difference air sealing can make for Kalamazoo homeowners, so we highly recommend this process to boost your house’s efficiency.
Whatever Your Home Needs, WMGB Is Here to Help!
Sometimes it can be difficult to determine what service will make the most significant difference to your home’s efficiency. WMGB has several home energy resources to help you keep your home comfortable and efficient for years to come! Home energy audits especially use science-backed tests to determine where your home’s inefficiencies lie, making them an excellent place to start when addressing home energy problems.
