Higher energy bills seem inevitable when winter comes, but greening one’s home by making it more energy efficient and environmentally friendly is a smart way to help keep home heating costs down during the colder months.
According to Gordian Raacke, founder and executive director of nonprofit Renewable Energy Long Island, Long Islanders still have a long way to go in making their homes as green as possible. He offers some tips for homeowners.
“Schedule a general checkup for your home called a home energy audit,” he says. “A qualified energy professional will give you a list of upgrades for your home to consider.”
Homeowners can then choose what to improve, continues Raacke. Long Island Power Authority offers free home energy audits, he adds, as do programs available through the Long Island Green Homes Consortium, a cooperative effort of seven municipalities to help residents upgrade their homes’ energy performance.
One costly waste for many Long Islanders is heat escaping through folding attic stairs. An easy remedy, says Raacke, is an attic tent—a sealable, insulated barrier blocking the staircase opening.
Attic roof insulation can also be a weak point in many homes across Long Island, says Mark Gunthner, president of Brentwood-based Home Performance Technologies. A quick way to better insulate an attic, he explains, is with spray foam roofing—the application of foam insulation either inside the attic or coating the roof.
“[Spray foam roofing] is one of the best measures you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your house,” says Gunthner. “It brings your attic into the thermal boundary so it is now conditioned space, and the heat stays in the attic and doesn’t get lost through the attic.”
Attics aren’t the only places drafts can occur in a home, stresses David Magid, renewable energy coordinator at You Save Green (YouSaveGreen.com), a renewable energy contractor with offices in Albertson. That’s because most homes are not completely airtight, he says.
“Reducing airflow is critical in the winter time,” he explains. “There is a lot of small things that add up. These small holes can sometimes be equivalent to a window being open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the middle of the winter.”
Homeowners should also look at openings they may not consider problems, continues Magid. Central air vents and wall-mounted air conditioner units left unsealed in winter can be a big drain on a heating bill.
Massapequa Park-based MAVCAP Industries aims to eliminate this problem entirely with its AC DraftShields. The clear-plastic covers fit over central air grates and wall-mounted air conditioners to seal out drafts. The company is also developing a cover to fit over electrical outlets to prevent drafts through non-insulated wall spaces. These products keep energy costs down while more efficiently heating a home in the winter.
Chu & Gassman Consulting Engineers calculated that AC DraftShields can save oil users $103 annually for through-wall air conditioners and $260 per year for central air grates covered, according to MAVCAP’s website. The products have the potential to save gas users $89 annually for covering through-wall air conditioners and $244 per year for central-air vents.
“Something as simple as blocking a draft has a profound impact on [energy costs],” says MAVCAP Industries President Tom Mavroudis. “Depending on how bad your systems are between your outlets, your vents and your through-the-wall air conditioner, you could save 10 to 15 percent off your energy bill.”
For more ideas, check out the LI Green Homes Open House, a free event on Oct. 13 at 15 locations across LI, offering tours, green technology in action and talks with homeowners and contractors. To register visit RenewableEnergyLongIsland.org.
