Home Energy Efficiency Improvements Often Resolve Comfort Problems

Many homeowners in the St. Louis area are making improvements to the energy efficiency of their homes. In the process, they are finding that pretty much anything they do to make their home more energy efficient, also makes their home more comfortable.

Most professional energy auditors start the home energy assessment with a thorough customer interview. During the interview, the auditor asks the homeowner about comfort problems within the home. Specific comfort problems in the home give clues to the auditor.

Where to focus home energy improvements?

Armed with knowledge about comfort issues, the energy auditor can accurately identify the sources of energy waste in the home. When a room or section of the home is too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter, the auditor can focus on that portion of the home to diagnose where energy waste is occurring. 

Sometimes a portion of the house has cold floors or drafty areas. Sometimes a portion of the house is too humid or too dry. During allergy season, some parts of the home or a portion of the home causes heightened allergies for family members. All of these comfort issues, and many more, are symptoms of energy wasting problems with the building assembly.

Address the most significant energy losses for greatest improvement

The good news is that fixing the energy wasting problems almost always solves the comfort problem(s). For example, air sealing the attic may make the upstairs much easier to keep cool in summer. Air sealing and insulating the rim joist may make cold floors warm in winter.

The bottom line is, pretty much anything you do to make your home energy efficient will also make it more comfortable.  And the money you save on your utility bills will partially offset the cost of making your home more comfortable.