Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 8, Issue 1, January 2004

Copyright 2003 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article below in your research. Be sure to cite the Seattle Sun as your source.

AROUND THE HOME:

New Year's resolution:

Lower your energy bills

By MATT MAURY

As the brisk fall weather turns to the continual chill of winter, the size of the January utility bill may not be a welcome sight. So, it might be time to think about lowering your energy costs. A good place to begin is with insulation, or the current lack of it.

In most homes, over half the energy used is for heating. A lot of that heat escapes through the floors, walls and ceilings! But, with good insulation, a homeowner can both reduce energy costs and keep the home more comfortable.

In order to talk about insulation, it is important to understand "R-values." It isn't so critical to know what one "R" equals, but, rather, to realize that it is a measure of resistance to heat loss. The higher the "R-value" of a material, the greater the resistance to heat penetration.

Virtually every material in a home wood, glass, masonry, roofing, and even dead air space offers some resistance to heat transfer.

Of course, the most effective resistance comes from insulating materials made specifically for that purpose. These materials act like a sponge with millions of tiny air pockets, each trapping the heat that is trying to pass through. The more air pockets per cubic inch, the higher a material's "R-value" per inch of thickness.

In looking at insulation, there are some guidelines for our Pacific Northwest climate. The industry standards, based on the mild climate west of the Cascades, recommend that floors have an "R-value" of 11, walls are also 11, and roofs (attics) should be at least 19.

Windows also provide insulating properties, with double pane and storm windows providing significantly higher "R-values" than single pane units.

There is always a trade-off between the cost of new windows and additional insulation vs. the money to be saved on utility bills. Most of us are not skilled in figuring out how to get the most savings for our investments. That is why the major energy providers have set up "Weatherization Service Departments." They have information on rebates, low-interest loans and other special programs.

Before calling your utility company to discuss possible ways to save money, it is worthwhile to visit the U.S. Department of Energy's Web site at www.energysavers.gov. A "Virtual Home" feature allows a homeowner to move from room to room in a house (single story or multistory) to find possible ways to save money on energy bills.

Then, armed with ideas, call Seattle City Light's free help line at 684-3800.