If you are a home owner, one of your biggest expenses will be on the electricity bill. The amount of money you pay is only next to your home bank mortgage!
To reduce energy consumption, many people are turning to renewable energy source such as solar power. Due to the high demand, the home solar industry has become a multi-billion dollar market in the United States.
Before you call a contractor to prep your house for a solar power system, why not make your home more energy efficient.
The device that consumes the most power at home is the air conditioning unit. During hot summer days, it may be running the whole time.
There is a simple way to reduce the electricity used by the air conditioner…make your home more efficient by sealing all the air leaks.
When there are air leaks, cool air is escaping from your living room therefore forcing the air conditioner to work harder and longer. If you can fix the air leaks, your home will stay cooler hence less electricity consumed and saving you money.
How do you find these air leaks?
The traditional way to do so is to close all the windows and doors and turn on the exhaust fan. If you don’t have an exhaust fan, you need to point a portable fan out one window.
The idea is to create a negative pressure in your home which will cause air to seep into the living area through the leaks. The next step is to dip your hand in water and run it through all the window and door sills.
When you feel a cool sensation on your hand, you found a leak!
I know it’s a tedious process. But there is an easier way to check for air leaks. I came across a handheld thermal leak detector on Amazon.com, it is the Black & Decker TLD100.
This device is pretty cool actually. All you need to do is set the device temperature tolerance and then scan the light on the area you want to inspect. The light will change to red for warmer spots and blue for cooler spots to detect air leaks in both warm and cool weather. Simply amazing!
It cost less than $50 and comes with free shipping from Amazon.com.