| Whether you need heat in winter or air conditioning in | | | | house, an R-11 value will most likely be present. This |
| summer, you run the risk of throwing away money | | | | is bad. R-11 is the minimum required. Upgrade to R-20 |
| on utilities. You need not do this by making painless | | | | or R-30 in the walls and R-70 in the ceiling and floor |
| home improvements. | | | | areas. The temperatures in the house will become |
| Home Improvements - Get Your Envelope In Order | | | | more consistent because the heat transfer will stop. |
| Your house is an enclosed structure designed to | | | | This means the house stays warmer for longer in the |
| keep rain, cold, heat, wind, snow and so on out. In | | | | winter and cooler for longer in the summer. The |
| contrast, all of those things want in. If you are not | | | | change will be dramatic. |
| careful, Mother Nature will rob you blind. Yes, I am | | | | Windows can be a killer, accounting for as much as |
| talking about the thermal envelope of your home. | | | | 25 percent of your energy loss. The answer is |
| The thermal envelope refers to the protective | | | | relatively simple. Install Energy Star approved |
| pocket around your living space. Much like wearing | | | | windows and get those frames into shape. |
| gloves in the snow, you want the envelope to | | | | Doors are another area that can kill you. The issue is |
| provide a complete insulation barrier between you | | | | not so much the door itself, but the framing around |
| and the elements. If there are gaps or weak areas, | | | | it. Make sure your doors are flush to the frames. |
| your hard earned money is flowing out of them. | | | | Installing small seal pads along the inside of the |
| Upgrading or maintaining your envelope can save you | | | | doorstops can make a major difference because |
| a bundle. | | | | they cut off air flow. Of course, the downside is the |
| Insulation can be a killer when it comes to your | | | | door doesn't make much noise when you slam it in |
| envelope. Most developers build homes to the | | | | anger, but you will just have to tough it out. |
| minimum requirements because they are focused on | | | | Upgrading your envelope can make a major |
| profits. Insulation is noted by R values, a method of | | | | difference in your utility bill. If you can save $100 a |
| determining how resistant the insulation is to | | | | month, you will save $1,200 a year. If you live in the |
| transferring heat. If you check the walls of your | | | | home for 10 years, that is an easy $12,000. |