Energy costs are expected to rise and now that its spring, there are many things you can do to combat these rising costs.

Insulation

Most heat loss in a home goes through the ceiling. Adding a layer of blown-in cellulose insulation can have a major effect on your heat costs. If you live in an older home you can also insulate your walls without tearing out your drywall. One local company that specializes in wall insulation is "Retro-foam". While this is not an endorsement (as we have no firsthand experience with them), they have been in the metro-detroit area for awhile and would be worth a call.

Get rid of drafts around windows and doors

Heat is also lost around these openings and can be easy to fix. For doors check weather stripping and seals, if they are worn, replace them. For windows remove the old caulk on the outside and replace it with a good caulk meant for exterior use. For both doors and windows, you can insulate around the jamb itself. This will require you (or me) to remove casings and install either batt insulation or foam insulation. Homes with old wood windows can realize great benefit by doing this as the area around these old jambs was purposely left empty on installation so the window counter-weights could move up and down.

Check for air leaks around the foundation

In your basement where the foundation meets the house (the sill plate), is another place to check for air leaks, also check penetrations from wiring or air conditioner lines.

Finally make sure your recessed cans are sealed. Recessed cans are very effective at turning your house into a collander. Recessed cans placed in a upper floor ceiling should be "IC" rated meaning "In Contact". This means the can may be buried in insulation. For non-IC rated cans, you can use rigid insulation to build a box around the lights to seal them up.

For more iinformation, give us a call. 586-709-4853