Last fall we spent just over $1000 for additional weatherization at our home, and it really has paid off.
Here is just four months of differences.
Going forward, the savings will be greater.
Also, this year was much, much colder than last year.
One thing was plexiglass removable inserts that go inside for our single pane windows that we can't afford to replace in our older home. That extra barrier paid off.
2/ Another month since our #weatherization and another surprise bill.
I should also note, we are more comfortable in our home after our weatherization.
It's also worth noting, this bill was for 3 additional days, so it would be $65 lower than it is now for the same time period as last year, pre-weatherization.
What are we doing with the reclaimed money? So far, over the winter, we have purchased and had installed, two new insulated storm doors, weatherstripping around doors & some caulking.
New window up top, old sliding glass door below, for thermal comparison. Top window is vinyl and has a U-Factor of 0.26; Not sure on the lower, which is aluminum but double paned. #FLIR#weatherization
Applied caulking to leaky window here at my temporary residence. Hopefully will cure enough to withstand the next torrential pummeling in this weekend. #weatherization#rain
Local big box hardware store was awful thin on insulation this evening... Wonder if I caused a little bit of a run on supplies 😂 #insulation#weatherization
Expanding closed cell foam in a can does work for mitigating insulation issues, but is very, very (very) pricey compared with alternatives (ie. blown-in insulation or correctly installing fiberglass batts). $$
Expansion performs best at around 75F. Colder weather significantly inhibits its expansion properties. Don't try it in very cold weather! (waste of cans...)
Not all cans of foam perform well. Shake them... a lot. 2 minutes, vigorously, at least, if not more. Do not stop pressing that button as it will self harden on itself and clog.
Only would have done the work I did with a FLIR, otherwise it would be difficult (if not impossible) to determine where to inject the foam.
Better to drill two holes than one, the second hole (higher) releases air from the cavity and allows the foam to expand better. if you have a very leaky wall, not as much of a consideration.
Before/after OCD insulating spree with FLIR and expanding foam. First image shows a massive thermal hole (between the fish) against a hot South facing wall. Second image is the same hole filled with expanding foam (cooler than the rest of the wall). Very expensive vs. Fiberglass batts, but this room typically overheats badly in summer. #insulation#weatherization#disasterremodeling#remodeling#flir
It's a mystery to me why this one tiny section of wall has NO INSULATION. Will fix this with a drill and a can of expanding foam, but... why?!?! #flir#insulation#weatherization
Curse of the FLIR. Turned on the heater today and ran the FLIR (infrared detector) in the attic. Now I know my AC/heat ducts leak heat (I sealed them well a few years ago, but the thin layer of insulation is not doing much! #insulation#weatherization#energy#EnergyEfficiency
Hmm, I'm going to be walking around looking for air leaks for weeks and weeks, LOL. Now that I know what to look for. (training from the DOE available on how to detect air leaks... cool photo showing what leaks look like). #FLIR#insulation#weatherization#EnergyEfficiency
Cheap way to reduce drafts and energy usage in a home: insulating gaskets for your outlets. 18 to 20 cents each in bulk. Invisible once you install the wall plate. #insulation#diy#weatherization
FLIR before/after -- same wall, on the left before I reinsulated the wall, you can see the cold temperature (triangular, red/orange). The second image is after today's insulation work and cutting a giant hole and climbing up into the space above my front patio (about $20 worth of insulation) -- dramatic difference in thermal performance. Over time, it will be worth a LOT MORE than $20 in energy usage. #insulation#disasterremodeling#flir#weatherization
Noticed this at the temporary housing the other day. Daylight through a door... leaking heat out, cold in. Easy fix to this. Really helpful during something like this Polar Vortex to minimize heat loss. #weatherization#insulation#enery#EnergyEfficiency
In a fortuitous coincidence, I recently picked up this partial roll of foam weatherstripping, for free, from a bucket of free, random home repair bits st a garage sale. It's exactly the amount I need! #weatherization
Tenmat Recessed light covers - one solution for leaky can lights in the attic. Made of rock wool. You use expanding foam to seal these over cans, keeping air from exiting from the cans and allowing for insulation added on top. #insulation#energyefficiency#energy#weatherization