how to reduce your air conditioning bills this summer

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How To Reduce Your Air Conditioning Bills This Summer Imagine turning on the air conditioning and then leaving a window open all summer long -- the air conditioning loss, drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day. These often overlooked sources of air conditioning loss and air leakage can cause your expensive air conditioning to pour out of your house and the hot moist outside air to rush in -- costing you much higher air conditioning bills. Air leaks are the largest source of air conditioning loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. Most homeowners are well aware of the benefits that caulk and weatherstripping provide to minimize air conditioning loss and save energy. But what can you do about the four largest “holes” in your home -- the folding attic stair, the whole house fan, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes. Attic Stairs When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square feet) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only a thin, unsealed, sheet of plywood. Your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors. In the summer the attic space is very hot. And what is separating your air conditioned house from your hot attic? That thin sheet of plywood. If you touch the attic stair door you can feel the heat! Because there is no insulation or weatherstripping, your air conditioning leaks into the attic and the hot attic air leaks into your house. This is like leaving a window open all summer! An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling. Whole House Fans Much like attic stairs above, when whole house fans are installed, a large hole (up to 16 square feet or larger) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only leaky ceiling shutter between the air conditioned house and the hot attic. If you touch the shutter you can feel the heat! An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a whole house fan sealing cover. The whole house fan cover is made from a thin insulated foam pad, and provided with a textured, white finish. It is installed from the house side over the ceiling shutter and secured with Velcro, allowing it to be easily removed and reinstalled. Fireplaces

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How To Reduce Your Air Conditioning Bills This Summer

Imagine turning on the air conditioning and then leaving a window open all summer long -- the air conditioning loss, drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.

These often overlooked sources of air conditioning loss and air leakage can cause your expensive air conditioning to pour out of your house and the hot moist outside air to rush in -- costing you much higher air conditioning bills.

Air leaks are the largest source of air conditioning loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. Most homeowners are well aware of the benefits that caulk and weatherstripping provide to minimize air conditioning loss and save energy.

But what can you do about the four largest “holes” in your home -- the folding attic stair, the whole house fan, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.

Attic Stairs

When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square feet) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only a thin, unsealed, sheet of plywood.

Your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors. In the summer the attic space is very hot. And what is separating your air conditioned house from your hot attic? That thin sheet of plywood.

If you touch the attic stair door you can feel the heat! Because there is no insulation or weatherstripping, your air conditioning leaks into the attic and the hot attic air leaks into your house. This is like leaving a window open all summer!

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling.

Whole House Fans

Much like attic stairs above, when whole house fans are installed, a large hole (up to 16 square feet or larger) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only leaky ceiling shutter between the air conditioned house and the hot attic. If you touch the shutter you can feel the heat!

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a whole house fan sealing cover. The whole house fan cover is made from a thin insulated foam pad, and provided with a textured, white finish. It is installed from the house side over the ceiling shutter and secured with Velcro, allowing it to be easily removed and reinstalled.

Fireplaces

Approximately 100 million homes in North America are constructed with wood or gas burning fireplaces. Most people do not realize that fireplaces are much like an open window - they are big energy losers! The chimney is a big opening (much like an open window) that allows your expensive air conditioning to flow out and the hot damp outdoor air to come back in to your house.

Researchers have studied this to determine the amount of energy loss through a fireplace, and the results are amazing. One research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall energy consumption by 30 percent.

A recent study showed that for many consumers, their energy bills may be more than $500 higher per year due to the air leakage and wasted energy caused by fireplaces.

Why does a home with a fireplace have higher air conditioning bills? Air conditioning can pressurize the house, causing air conditioning to be forced out of or outdoor air to be sucked in through the chimney. Even if the damper and glass doors are shut they are not air tight. Other chimney problems can include noxious odors, noise, and insects.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a fireplace draftstopper plug. Available from Battic Door, a company known for their energy conservation products, a fireplace draftstopper plug is an inflatable pillow that seals the damper, eliminating any air conditioning leaks. The plug can be removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after.

Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts

In many homes, the room with the clothes dryer is the most uncomfortable room in the house. Your clothes dryer is connected to an exhaust duct that is open to the outdoors. In the summer, your expensive air conditioning can leak out and the hot moist outdoor air leaks in through the duct, through your dryer and into your house.

Dryer vents use a sheet-metal flapper to try to reduce this air leakage. This is a very ineffective way to stop the air leakage. Compounding the problem is that over time, lint clogs the flapper valve causing it to stay open.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal. This will reduce unwanted air infiltration, and keep out pests, bees and rodents as well. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow the warm air, lint and moisture to escape.

If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan, an AC return, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, you can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes, save money on your air conditioning costs, and improve the comfort of your home.

Mark D. Tyrol is a Professional Engineer specializing in cause and origin of construction defects. He developed several residential energy conservation products including an attic stair cover, an attic access door, and is the U.S. distributor of the fireplace draftstopper. To learn more visit www.batticdoor.com