Basement and conditioned (heated and cooled) crawlspace walls are the next item to measure. Here, you will want to separate the areas DIY Home Energy into those above grade, or above ground, and those below. You may want to mark the basement dimensions on the photographs of the outside of your house. This will be especially helpful if the grade slopes along the sides of your house. Fill in your chart and add 50% to the insulation thickness for the basement areas that are below grade, and for those walls that adjoin unheated crawlspaces. In addition, subtract the area of the windows.
Now you can now turn your attention to the exterior walls of your house. Measure the floor to ceiling distances and add the second floor height and another foot for the floor structure to the height of the first floor. Calculate the areas for the different types of walls, subtract the area for all doors and windows, and add this information to your chart. Here too, you may want to write the areas of widows and doors on your photographs. In order to determine the type of cavity insulation in wood framed walls, your best bet will be to remove the cover plate from an outlet or switch.
You may need to remove several before you see evidence of insulation around the edge or poking through a hole in the back of the box. Determining the type and thickness of continuous insulation on the outside of walls is more difficult. The most likely place to find this out is at one of the gaps around a pipe, vent or wire that pokes through the outside of your house, this may require you to remove some caulk. If you have un-insulated masonry walls, enter the thickness of the masonry in the continuous insulation column, if they are insulated, enter the thickness of the insulation. Again, remember to subtract the area of all doors and windows before you enter the various wall areas into your chart.
Nowadays it's getting harder and harder to save a dollar. People are doing everything that they can in order to make ends meet. Just by doing little things you can let your dollar go a long way. One of the simplest ways to save money is by making your home energy efficient. You will be surprised that just by making simple changes around the house, you can lower your energy costs and save a lot of money on your energy bill.
Now you can now turn your attention to the exterior walls of your house. Measure the floor to ceiling distances and add the second floor height and another foot for the floor structure to the height of the first floor. Calculate the areas for the different types of walls, subtract the area for all doors and windows, and add this information to your chart. Here too, you may want to write the areas of widows and doors on your photographs. In order to determine the type of cavity insulation in wood framed walls, your best bet will be to remove the cover plate from an outlet or switch.
You may need to remove several before you see evidence of insulation around the edge or poking through a hole in the back of the box. Determining the type and thickness of continuous insulation on the outside of walls is more difficult. The most likely place to find this out is at one of the gaps around a pipe, vent or wire that pokes through the outside of your house, this may require you to remove some caulk. If you have un-insulated masonry walls, enter the thickness of the masonry in the continuous insulation column, if they are insulated, enter the thickness of the insulation. Again, remember to subtract the area of all doors and windows before you enter the various wall areas into your chart.
Nowadays it's getting harder and harder to save a dollar. People are doing everything that they can in order to make ends meet. Just by doing little things you can let your dollar go a long way. One of the simplest ways to save money is by making your home energy efficient. You will be surprised that just by making simple changes around the house, you can lower your energy costs and save a lot of money on your energy bill.
