We have too often heard the cry “my home is brand new and my energy bills are skyrocketing through the roof!” Homeowners have falsely accepted that old homes have to be drafty, uncomfortable and costly to heat or cool, and most people just assume that a new home will automatically be efficient.
- It’s frustrating when you invest a great deal of time and money in a place meant to be special to us and quickly realize that lighting, heating and cooling our home costs a great deal more than expected. On top of that it’s drafty, some rooms are too hot, or too cold, and you just can’t stay comfortable. It’s unfortunate that energy and performance concerns are often left at the bottom of the list, if they’re considered at all.
The problems in a new home may look different at first glance than the ones in a home 100 years old, but often they are one in the same. Heating or cooling the air in the home too frequently because the home isn’t tight enough happens regardless of age. Builders often overlook critical details needed to air-seal a house. New homes like old ones can suffer from too little insulation in places, or insulation in the wrong place. Poor duct work, inefficient or incorrectly sized furnaces and air-conditioners, and poor window performance plague new homes, too. Refrigeration, lighting and other electrical loads often aren’t any different in a new home. The good news is there are certainly ways to make new homes more comfortable and waste less money on utility bills.
Our customers who own newer and older homes have happily discovered that with air-sealing, improved insulation and/or upgrading heating and cooling systems as well as lighting, comfort and savings can be achieved. By acting on the recommendations of a good energy audit utility bills can be slashed in winter and summer.
Our advisors understand a house does best when it acts as a system and their recommendations work to truly fix the problems that make homeowner’s comfort levels go up and bills go down. This works in a home 100 years old or only 1 year old. Stay tuned and we’ll talk more about how we can turn your brand new “old” home into what it ought to be. And we’ll give you pointers on things to look for and insist on when buying a new home—it’s always easier and less expensive to do it right the first time. Unfortunately they’re building them faster than we can fix them!
