As the summer heat peaks, it's the perfect time to give your home’s energy efficiency a boost. Making a few changes now can help your home stay cooler and more comfortable through the rest of the summer and keep your AC bills in check.
At Home Energy Medics, we’ve been helping homeowners improve their energy efficiency since 2009. We’ve seen it all over the years—keep reading for our top recommendations to boost efficiency, stay cool, and save on your energy bills this summer.
1. Get a Home Energy Audit
You can’t fix energy efficiency issues in your home if you don’t know what’s causing them. That’s why an energy audit is so important. With an energy audit, you get a look under the hood. You’ll find out how your home is currently performing and where it’s wasting energy.
Most DC insulation companies offer energy audits, but they usually only look at your insulation. At Home Energy Medics, we take home energy testing further.
Our energy audit is a thorough evaluation of your entire home from top to bottom. We test everything, including:
- HVAC efficiency
- Water heater efficiency
- Insulation levels
- Air leakage
- Duct leakage
- Indoor air quality
- Moisture levels
- And more
This thorough approach leaves nothing to guesswork, giving you the most accurate insight into where improvements can be made.
2. Seal Leaky Ducts
Leaky air ducts are a huge source of energy waste in a home. When your ductwork has leaks or poor connections, cool air escapes before it gets where it needs to go.
By sealing your air ducts, we can make sure the air from your cooling system is actually reaching the rooms you want to cool. It’s a simple fix that’ll help your home stay cooler this summer and lower your energy bills.
3. Install New Insulation
You might think about insulation as something that keeps your house warm in the winter, but it’s just as important for keeping your house cool in the summer.
Insulation works by slowing down heat transfer. In the summer, it blocks outside heat from coming into your home, keeping it cooler. Your AC doesn’t have to work as hard as a result, saving you money.
Not sure when to replace insulation in your attic or basement? If you were dealing with a cold, drafty house and high energy bills over the winter, chances are your insulation is to blame. Upgrading it now will make a big difference, not just this summer but all year round.
4. Air Seal Your Attic
Your attic is one of the places where most of your energy can escape. If you’ve got gaps or cracks up there, cool air is slipping out, and hot air is getting in. Air sealing your attic helps keep that from happening.
If you’ve had your attic insulated recently and you’re still dealing with energy efficiency issues, your contractor might have skipped this step, which is a serious disservice to you and your home. We would be happy to evaluate your attic as part of your home energy audit and let you know whether you need better air sealing.
5. Schedule a summer HVAC Tune-Up
You don’t want your AC going out in the middle of a heat wave, and a summer tune-up is the best way to make sure that doesn’t happen. A professional tune-up keeps your system running smoothly so you avoid expensive and inconvenient breakdowns. It’s also a chance to find and fix efficiency issues that can drive up your summer cooling bills.
6. Install a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat is one of those little upgrades that can make a big difference. You can set the temperature to adjust automatically, cooling your home when you’re there, but cutting back when you’re not. It’s an easy way to save energy and lower your bills without sacrificing comfort.
7. Replace Drafty Windows
Old, drafty windows can be a huge drain on your energy bills. If you feel like the heat or cold radiates right through your windows, it’s time to think about a replacement. The energy efficient windows we install are heavily insulated and built to block out summer heat while letting natural light in.
8. Take Advantage of Rebates
A lot of home energy efficiency improvements are eligible for rebates and incentives that significantly reduce the cost.
With EmPower Maryland rebates, you can save up to $10,000 on energy efficiency home improvements like insulation installation and heat pumps. You can also claim a federal tax credit worth up to $3,200 per year for home performance upgrades like insulation, air sealing, heat pump installation, and more.
Home Energy Medics is the local rebate expert in Northern Virginia. We’ll help you find out which incentives you qualify for and help you claim every dollar you can.