It's important to seal our homes so cold air doesn't migrate in during the winter months and our cool air conditioned air doesn't migrate out in the summer. Otherwise we're fighting a losing and expensive battle with the great outdoors.
One of the best ways to save energy is to seal homes with caulk and a proper thermal barrier. Caulk is one of the least expensive ways to save energy and installing a thermal barrier requires only good quality workmanship.
Consumers who are thinking about building, remodeling or upgrading their home or building's insulating properties are encouraged to build to Energy Star Standards. It will keep the operating costs of your home down for the life of the building.
One of the problem spots for many homes is recessed lighting. The "cans" often aren't sealed tightly and winter air leaking in and rising hot air leaking out can cause cold drafts. Today the recommendation is to change out the recessed lights for pendant lights or for those who love the recessed lighting as I do some experts recommend using recessed light fixtures with the IC for "insulation contact" designation. That means it is possible to insulate over the fixture and it won't get too hot and cause problems such as melting the insulation, melting the electrical wiring or starting a fire. The IC fixtures have a safety override switch, sensing when the light fixture is trapping too much heat and it turns off the light.
The department of Energy's- Energy Star Website has a Thermal Bypass Checklist Guide Go to http://www.energystar.gov/ which will be a good starting point for a discussion with a builder or before heading out to buy supplies for that do-it-yourself remodeling project.
Call us for a builder recommendation- who concentrates on customer service and energy efficiency in new home construction.
www.YourRealEstateTeam.com Paul & Leigh Garnett, P.C. 816-985-SOLD or 816-985-PAUL
