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How to Set Home Energy Savings Priorities
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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
Heating cost reduction priorities: here we explain the basic priorities of steps to take in reducing building heating or cooling costs. The sequence of energy-saving and money-saving steps outlined just below will be appropriate for most buildings.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
How to Set Overall Priorities of Building Improvements in Insulation, Storm Windows, Heating Systems, when Saving on Heating Costs
Readers should also see ENERGY SAVINGS MAXIMIZE RETURNS ON and see the collection of energy saving articles at ENERGY SAVINGS in buildings
Readers may also want to place this idea of tuning up your heating system
to save heating cost in the larger energy savings context
- Stop drafts and air leaks in the building first: find and fix leaky windows, doors. The leaks in an older home may be small, individually, but added up they are often equal to leaving a window or door wide open. There is not much benefit in adding insulation to a building if a window or door is being left open. Or the equivalent in leaks. Stop drafts first. See ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT LEAK SEALING GUIDE. Also see AIR BYPASS LEAKS and see HEAT LOSS INDICATORS. For older buildings where you have already added insulation but heating bills are still too high, see ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT CASE STUDY.
- Insulate attics - the general movement of warm air and heat in a building is "up" and "out" as warm air rises through a home. If a building is not insulated or not well insulated, the attic floor is the place to start with improving building heat retention. Be sure to also review our notes on proper attic ventilation so that you don't also create a moisture problem. See INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT and see ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT OPTIONS.
- Add storm windows: if your building's windows are old, leaky, un insulated, adding storm windows can have a faster payback than removing and replacing the entire window unit with a modern insulated glass unit.
- Insulate walls - the second direction of heat loss, once we've fixed drafts and insulated an attic, are the building walls. See INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT. Be sure to check basements and crawl spaces for drafts at the top of the foundation walls.
- Insulate crawl spaces? Contemporary building scientists prefer to close off crawl space venting and convert these areas to conditioned space. See CRAWL SPACE VENTING & Dryout Procedures and also HEAT LOSS: How to Calculate Heat Loss in a Building
- Tune up the heating & cooling system performance - heating system economies as a portion of overall building heating cost probably falls in between attics and walls and for sure is
before insulating a basement wall except for stopping rim joist drafts.
- Use Alternative & Renewable Energy Sources - reduce the cost of heating and cooling the building interior. See
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the most effective ways to cut home heating or energy bills: what to do first
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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- Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Technical Reference Guide purchased as a single order. Just enter INSPECTATRG in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- Carbon Monoxide Gas Toxicity, exposure limits, poisoning symptoms, and inspecting buildings for CO hazards
- DUST, HVAC CONTAMINATION STUDY An Investigation of Indoor Dust Debris Blamed on a Heating/Cooling System Reveals Carpet Dust
- Fuel Oil & Oil Heating Magazine, 3621 Hill Rd., Parsippany, NJ 07054, 973-331-9545
- Goodman Furnace High Temperature Plastic Vent HTPV safety recall US CPSC notice
- Home Heating System Should Be Checked [for proper venting and for CO Carbon Monoxide Hazards - DJF]
- Inspection Procedures for Oil-Fired Heating Systems Detailed step by step approaches for inspecting complex systems]
- Lennox Pulse Furnace Safety Inspection/Warranty Program: Carbon Monoxide Warning
- Oil Tanks - The Oil Storage Tank Information Website: Buried or Above Ground Oil Tank Inspection, Testing, Cleanup, Abandonment of Oil Tanks
- Oil Tanks Above Ground, UL Standards, guidance for home owners, buyers, and inspectors
- Plastic Heating Vent Pipe & Other Heating Safety Recall Notices
- Weil McLain Model GV Gas Boiler/gas valve CPSC recall/repair
- Domestic and Commercial Oil Burners, Charles H. Burkhardt, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York 3rd Ed 1969.
- National Fuel Gas Code (Z223.1) $16.00 and National Fuel Gas Code Handbook (Z223.2) $47.00 American Gas Association (A.G.A.), 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209 also available from National Fire Protection Association, Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269. Fundamentals of Gas Appliance Venting and Ventilation, 1985, American Gas Association Laboratories, Engineering Services Department. American Gas Association, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209. Catalog #XHO585. Reprinted 1989.
- The Steam Book, 1984, Training and Education Department, Fluid Handling Division, ITT [probably out of print, possibly available from several home inspection supply companies] Fuel Oil and Oil Heat Magazine, October 1990, offers an update,
- Principles of Steam Heating, $13.25 includes postage. Fuel oil & Oil Heat Magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004.
- The Lost Art of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, 516-579-3046 FAX
- Principles of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, technical editor of Fuel Oil and Oil Heat magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004 ($12.+1.25 postage/handling).
- "Residential Steam Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- "Residential Hydronic (circulating hot water) Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- "Warm Air Heating Systems". Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Volume I, Heating Fundamentals,
- Boilers, Boiler Conversions, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23389-4 (v. 1) Volume II, Oil, Gas, and Coal Burners, Controls, Ducts, Piping, Valves, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23390-7 (v. 2) Volume III, Radiant Heating, Water Heaters, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps, Air Cleaners, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23383-5 (v. 3) or ISBN 0-672-23380-0 (set) Special Sales Director, Macmillan Publishing Co., 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022. Macmillan Publishing Co., NY
- Installation Guide for Residential Hydronic Heating Systems
- Installation Guide #200, The Hydronics Institute, 35 Russo Place, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
- The ABC's of Retention Head Oil Burners, National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, TM 115, National Old Timers' Association of the Energy Industry, PO Box 168, Mineola, NY 11501. (Excellent tips on spotting problems on oil-fired heating equipment. Booklet.)
- Links to our list of additional information on heating system inspection, repair, maintenance
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