Signs your home may be less insulated than you think

Today’s column was written by Paul Kazlov, a “green” home-remodeling enthusiast and an industry pioneer for innovation in home renovation. Paul writes for the Global Home Improvement blog and strives to educate people about “green” products, such as metal roofing and solar options.

Keeping a home cool in the summer and warm in the winter is something every homeowner strives to do.

The good news is you don’t need a doctorate to create a comfortable living space. What you need is a bit of research, a little inspection and a few hours of work.

The problem is that most homeowners think too highly of their homes. Many do not realize that their home may be less insulated than they think.

Here are a few signs you should look for as you stroll around the house.

• Do you have leaky windows?

Homeowners tend to believe that their windows are set to go if they are relatively new and made of good materials.

While the quality of your windows can make a difference in their longevity and durability, your windows may still be leaky because of poor installation. Other times, well-installed windows can be compromised after undergoing multiple thermal expansions and contractions.

Telltale signs of a leaky window include peeling paint on the interior windowsill or surrounding walls and rotting wood on the exterior window frame and sill.

If you see any of these signs or detect traces of mildew and mold in your home, then it’s time to check your windows and caulk them for good.

• Your squeaky door may do more than squeak.

You may not pay too much attention to your squeaking doors, but like your windows, your home’s exterior doors are also common air-leakage points.

When your doors aren’t thoroughly fitted, you will notice certain gaps and areas between the warm inside and the cold outside during the winter.

When you stand next to the door, you can feel the cool air (in winter) and the warm air (in summer) as it intrudes your living space and drives up your utility bills.

The best way to remedy this is to seal up the door with a draft excluder and stop the leakage.

However, if you’re one of those homeowners who have done the sealing already, checking your door regularly for drafts remains an important to-do.

As This Old House shares, “a door’s weather seals, if it has any at all, can rip, compress, bend or wear out over time, leaving chilly winter air free to enter (or expensive air-conditioned air to leave).”

The moral of the lesson? Keep your door sealed, and keep an eye on it!

• Assess your home’s insulation.

The best way to understand how well your home is insulated is by giving it a personal assessment.

To get started, Energy.gov recommends that homeowners “check the attic, walls and floors adjacent to an unheated space, like a garage or basement … to see what type of insulation you have, and measure its depth or thickness (in inches).”

Depending on what type of insulation your home is equipped with, your insulation fixes may be as simple as weatherstripping your entry points or as complicated as insulating your attic by adding an extra layer of insulation blanket — and maybe even upgrading to an energy-efficient metal roof.

According to EnergyStar, installing a metal roof will not only make your home more comfortable year-round, but will also help you save an average of 15 percent on heating and cooling costs.

The investment is worthwhile, so grab a clipboard, and start the assessment today.

— Reprinted from blog.rismedia.com with permission of RISMedia

House to House is distributed by the Arkansas Realtors Association. For more information about homeownership in Arkansas, visit www.ArkansasRealtors.com.