I get invited into a lot of crawl spaces. One of the lessons I have learned is that people will run dryer vents anywhere and everywhere. The lesson I want to pass on to you is: You should check out your dryer vent to help save electricity. You should also check it out to reduce the chance of fire and to speed up the drying time for each load. The longer the vent, the more bends in the vent, the older the vent, the more likely that there is going to be a problem. I have found vents that were 100% clogged with fibers. I have found vents sagging under the weight of the warm and wet fiber. I have found vents stretching across the entire crawl space.
A dryer vent should be as short as possible, but no more than 35′ long. I would say no more than 12′ long to make it easier to clean in the future. If you check out your vent and there is a clog you should clean it immediately. A dryer can easily cause a fire if not vented as designed.
Ice on the roof shows clear signs of energy loss vs energy-efficiency. We were fortunate not to have a huge ice storm that some parts of the country are facing. In our area, there was only a light coating of ice that was quickly melting as I drove to work. I could see on the roofs in the neighborhood where the insulation was installed correctly in homes and where there were some major gaps in the thermal envelope. Major gaps meaning loss of energy or HIGH energy bills.
When I got to work the folks at Herr and Company showed a photo they snapped of one of our design projects. They executed a major renovation for Weiler Orthodontics to improve aesthetics, but also to address some comfort issues. As I noted in a blog post from a few years ago, the insulation and heating / cooling system were not adequate to keep the energy bills low and the space comfortable.
Herr and Company brought in Elite Insulation to execute our design for the attic space. Since there was duct work in the attic space it needed to be a conditioned to perform optimally and correct the comfort issues. So the foam experts at Elite got to work and sealed up the roof, spraying the bottom of the sheathing and the fire wall that separated the attic from the neighboring space. The results are clear as the ice had not melted off the roof of the conditioned renovated space. The neighboring spaces are losing a lot of energy (money) through their roofs. This indicates that Dr. Weilerwas keeping his warm air inside his space where it belongs. The net result is a more comfortable space with low energy bills.
An energy-audit is a great “tune-up” for your existing home. I have been offeringenergy-auditsfor free for people in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County now for about four years. My goal is to help people reduce their monthly bills by identifying easy to correct issues in their homes. I usually don’t hear back from them on the progress they have made, but I did on a recent audit which made my day.
From the home owner via email: After the first night with increased insulation in our attic, we want to say “THANK YOU” again for your insight and time during our home energy audit. Elite Insulation was over yesterday and the improvement to the warmth is noticeable. It’s the first time we didn’t have to use a space heater during the winter!
In this particular audit I did not find any BIG issues that should be fixed right away. I did notice that the attic insulation needed some attention and gave the home owner some other easy to fix items that would improve comfort. I like to also leave a list of companies that I trust to get the work done right if they are called. Elite Insulation is always the name I give for improving the thermal envelope of a home or business. They do good work for a fair price – what more could you ask for from your insulator?
I emailed Ken at Elite Insulation to find out what they did at the house to solve the comfort issue. He tells me that they added R-30 insulation over the existing 10″that was already there. Old insulation has layers of dirt and does not perform as well as new insulation so my guess is the atticnow has around an R35 – R40 blanket on top holding in the conditioned temperatures. While they were there they also added baffles to keep the soffits functioning as designed. This will allow air to flow above the insulation without moving the insulation around. This is not Ken’s work pictured below, but shows the soffit vent in action.
I am thrilled to hear from the home owner that she felt immediate results from the work that was done. Offering free energy-audits is rewarding in that I know I am empowering people with information they can use to cut costs and improve comfort. Hearing back from someone who has done improvements really makes it worthwhile.
I am working on a research project that looks at different wall types (2 x 4 wood, 2 x 6 wood, ICF, other) compared to annual energy usage. The more data I can collect for each wall type the closer I will get to scientific conclusion. If you have a moment, can you please fill out the “Home Energy Use Average” survey linked below. It is simple and straight forward to fill out. All data will be anonymous.
The goal of this information gathering is to confirm or refute some conclusions our research team has come to for a book project we are working on. Thank you so much for sharing the information.
This time of year it is sometimes hard to get warm. Does your house have that one room that is always a few degrees colder than the rest of the house? Are there places in your home you don’t use this time of year? Look for the air leak if your house is cold or uncomfortable and seal them. This simple act will improve the comfort of the rooms in your home and cut your energy bills.
One of the most common places I find HUGE air leak are electrical outlets and light switches. Here is a thermal image of a light switch next to a window. You can see the dark area which shows cold air is 44 degrees inside the house. The way it is shaped shows that air leak is coming through the wall and around this outlet running up and down the wall.
If you remove the decorative cover plate there is a plastic box that holds the light switch in place. Use a silicone caulk to seal the box tight to the drywall or plaster surrounding the box. This will reduce the amount of air leak around the switch. There are also small insulation sleeves that you can put over the switch behind the cover plate. This will help as well, but caulk first.
This time of year my phone starts ringing on a regular basis for our free energy audit service. People do not like being cold and uncomfortable in their homes and we can help them solve this problem. If you live in the Harrisonburg / Rockingham County area, give our office a call to schedule an audit and we will help identify issues in your home. This audit can also identify solutions to increase comfort and cut energy bills for your home.
The issues I find in most homes are very similar and the biggest comfort challenge is air leakage. The biggest leaks come around the holes in your walls that you see everyday and don’t think about anymore. No, not your windows and doors, although those cause issues. The biggest air leaks when added up are probably your electrical outlets and light switches – both on outside walls and inside walls. Taking the decorative cover plate off the outlet / switch you can caulk the plastic box tight to the drywall behind. There are also pre-cut insulation patches that can be added behind the decorative plate. Finally adding child protective plugs in any open outlet will reduce air leakage through these many holes in your walls.
There is also a door in your home that most people don’t treat like a door. The attic access almost never has insulation over it and does not have weather-stripping. Adding rigid insulation glued in layers, on the back side of the attic access panel will keep insulation in place even after you retrieve the Christmas tree.
Another common problem I find in almost every home I get called in for an energy audit is lacking insulation. The easiest place to add insulation is usually the attic. I often find missing insulation that has been moved by people, animals, and wind in attics. Keeping a well insulated thermal envelope is critical for maximizing the comfort of your home.
If your home suffers from high energy bills or rooms that are not comfortable, give us a call today.
