Why should you care about energy efficiency?
The more energy efficient your building envelope is, the less it costs to run and the lower your utility bills. Using less energy is good for the environment, too; it can reduce air pollution and help conserve natural resources.
We participate in a national association that aligns the country’s leading eco-friendly manufacturers and local home improvement contractors who are passionate about aiding homeowners and building owners in the growing struggle against rising energy costs.
This partnership is through The Home Performance Network, a SAM's CLUB approved vendor who verifies all partners before joining. HPN has long recognized that the majority of homes in North America are not energy efficient. This means that everyday energy is going to waste which is costing homeowner’s money and continuing to fuel our dependence on foreign oil.
Through HPNs strong alliance of qualified energy professionals, they combat this lack of home energy efficiency - saving clients money in the short and long terms. Their focus is on assisting clients in finding cost-effective solutions that allow them to retrofit their homes with the proper insulation, windows and solar solutions that will make their homes more energy efficient.
The HPN home energy audit is affordable and conducted by a professional trained through the HPN extensive certification process. All certified home energy audit professionals have both a technological as well as practical understanding of how energy consumption and efficiency work.
Once certified, our Pro Members are able to make energy efficiency recommendations and evaluate the building envelope of a home for overall energy solutions. Contact us for an energy audit of your home or commercial building.
Call 248-352-4251 or email AffordableSpaces@gmail.com
Tips for Lowering Your Monthly Energy Bill $$$$$$$
Being an energy-smart consumer means getting the most from the energy you use:
- Lower your thermostat in winter and bump it up in summer before you go to sleep and before you head out for the day. Even easier, install a programmable thermostat that does it automatically.
- Clean or replace filters for forced-air furnaces, heat pumps or air conditioners.
- Vacuum air vents, baseboard heaters and radiators regularly — dust reduces heating efficiency — and move furniture, carpet and curtains that restrict their operation.
- Use drapes and shades to help prevent heat gain on sunny summer days and heat loss on chilly winter nights. Shade room air conditioners to save them unnecessary extra work.
- Seal air leaks around windows, doors and places where pipes and wiring come through walls. Check existing caulking and weatherstripping for gaps or cracks.
- Schedule an annual tune-up for heat pumps, furnaces, boilers and central air conditioners. Expect to pay between $50 and $200. Your utility company may offer these tune-ups.
- Check ducts for holes and gaps where sections have separated and air may be leaking out. Some leaks you can seal yourself with mastic sealant or metal tape (don’t use duct tape). Hiring a professional to repair leaky ducts can be a good investment.
- Close fireplace dampers when you don’t have a fire going, and seal flues in fireplaces you don’t use.
- If your home has a crawl space under it, open your foundation vents in spring and close them in winter.
- Prune shrubs that may block airflow to your air conditioner or heat pump.
- Make sure your home is insulated to DOE-recommended levels, which you can find at energysavers.gov.
- Use ceiling fans to cool in summer and circulate heat in winter.
- Close the doors to rooms you don’t use regularly.
For More Information
To learn more about saving energy when heating and cooling your home, read Weathering the High Cost of Heating Your Home and Home Insulation Basics: Higher R-Values = Higher Insulating Values. The Federal Trade Commission offers a wide range of business and consumer information online at ftc.gov. This information also is available by calling our toll-free helpline at 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357) (TTY: 1-866-653-4261).