solar system curtains

solar system curtains

Weatherization: Insulate the floor - save power and warm the feet. Air seal and insulate the attic - the furnace doesn't run as long or often. Install new vinyl windows - the curtains don't blow in the breeze. All together, save energy and money and live with greater comfort.

Today I stopped by the house because the painter was there working at painting the exterior. Rain was forecast the next day and I had hopes he would be finished painting. The home would have been painted several months ago, in the middle of nice summer weather, but there was a little delay while house colors were selected. Let's just say some people have a hard time making a decision. Enough said.

Actually, painting is just one upgrade that this home has seen in the past several months. The whole list includes the following.

1. Air seal the attic floor and add R-21 blown fiberglass to the attic bringing the total to R-38.

2. Air seal the floor and Install R-25 unfaced batt insulation.

3. Seal the heating and return air ducts - test the ducts for leakage before and after the work.

4. Install new U-.30 vinyl windows.

5. Replace several sheets of moisture damaged T1-11 siding.

Before the attic insulation was installed, the holes where the plumbing air pipes and the electrical wires came up through the attic floor were sealed with spray foam. In order to do this, the 5 inches of loose fill insulation that was already in place needed to be swept away to expose the holes. The bathroom exhaust fans were also air sealed at the attic floor and the exhaust ducts were connected to a boot that sealed the duct to the roof vent for exhausting. Additional eve vent baffles were stapled in place to keep the insulation from plugging the eve vents and restricting attic ventilation. A dam of cardboard was fixed along the line that separated the attic over heated space and the attic that was over the garage, unheated space. A paper, over sized measuring tape, was installed so the depth of the insulation could be read with just a quick glance. To finish the work needed before more insulation was added, the return air duct connections were sealed with duct mastic.

The first work that was done under the floor was the spreading of a new 6 mil black visqueen moisture barrier. The new visqueen makes undertaking the other work just a little easier because there is the new, clean, slick visqueen to slide around on. Next, the holes where the plumbing pipes penetrated the floor were sprayed with expanding foam spray. The round metal heating ducts were fastened at the connections with small sheet metal screws and then each connection was sealed with duct mastic. R-25 unfaced batt insulation was installed up against the floor boards and held in place by vinyl string. The heating ducts were wrapped with vinyl faced R-11 insulation and held in place by wrapping the insulation with the vinyl string. The supply plumbing pipes were wrapped with pieces of the R-11 insulation and also wrapped with the string.

Single pane, metal framed windows were removed and new U-.30 vinyl windows were installed. To complete the window installation, 1 x 3 primed SPF trim was installed around the outside of the windows. Exterior caulk was applied under the window nailing fin and under the SPF window trim before installation.

I asked the homeowner if all the work had resulted in a lower power bill. He said he wasn't sure since his wife paid the electric bill, selected house colors, and was currently at work. There was three things however that he was sure of:

1. He hardly notices the furnace anymore. When he does, he notices it does not run as long as it used to or nearly as often. He thought it was normal to have a furnace that simply ran all the time during cooler weather.

2. He can move about the house in stocking feet and not have cold feet.

3. When a breeze moves through the valley, his window curtains no longer wave along with the breeze. The air in the house seems warmer and there is no longer pockets of cool air in the house.

I still wish the misses was home so I could see an electric bill. There has to be one around the house somewhere, it 's probably hiding under a large pile of house color charts somewhere.

Thanks for stopping by Detect Energy, hope this article was helpful as you work to control your power bill, come back soon, but remember, I won't leave the light on for you...

Don Ames is the host of http://www.detectenergy.com and the author of the Energy Spy Insider weekly email newsletter.

solar-system-1977.mov