Check out home's efficiency when sprucing up

The time has come again for a thorough home cleaning, but keep in mind that while clearing out dust and cobwebs is good for its appearance, your home’s energy efficiency may be a great way to save money while helping to keep the earth a little greener. This season while you’re washing the windows, also inspect their weather stripping. Feel around your electrical outlets and switch plates for drafts. Check attic hatches and foundation seals for leaking air. As you prepare to install your window-mounted air conditioning unit this summer, try to keep the excess space around the machine sealed as tight as possible.David Walton, director of Home Ideas for Direct Energy, one of the largest North American providers of energy and related services in North America, said, “With all of those little things combined, your house basically has a hole the size of a basketball in it.”Walton said weather stripping is one of those items that “is worth checking during spring greening and is relatively inexpensive to maintain.” He said you want to see if the stripping has become brittle with age. How often you need to replace it depends on the manufacturer among other things, but Walton said as an example, he replaces the stripping in his home about every five years.Foam coverings can be added to electrical outlets on exterior walls, Walton said. You can find the foam at just about any hardware or home improvement store in the weather stripping aisle, he said, and it fits underneath the outlet cover to help keep air from leaking.Often times, small cracks or spaces around faucets, pipes and wiring can be sealed with caulk. Many older homes are not properly insulated, so you will want to check attics and basements to make sure your temperature-controlled home is not wasting energy making up for lost air to either of these places.If you are going to be away from your home for a day or two, it is not necessary to turn down your water heater, but it is advantageous if you are going on an extended vacation, Walton said. As for whether or not turning off air conditioning on a cooler summer day is beneficial to energy savings versus keeping it at a steady setting all season long, Walton explained, “There’s no proven evidence in favor one way or another.” He added that a great rule of thumb is to keep curtains closed on south and east windows during the day where the sunlight comes in the most and also to use ceiling fans when you are home, which “is an inexpensive way to keep air moving.”Marvin Kremer, residential manager of Perry’s Heating and Air Conditioning, said an effective way to save energy is to have a heat pump installed, as opposed to having a traditional air conditioning unit.“In the summer, (the heat pump) gives air conditioning and in the winter it reverses its process and gives heat,” Kremer said. The heat pump is a bit more expensive than a normal air conditioning unit, but is advantageous because it uses electricity. With expensive and uncertain gas prices, Kremer explained, it’s a worthwhile investment. The downside to the heat pump is that it might not heat or cool an entire home, so you would need backup heating and cooling sources, such as a wood-burning stove or a window air conditioning unit, Kremer added.If you’re not interested in installing or replacing your existing unit with a heat pump, Kremer said, “the efficiency of your current system is important.” The outdoor condenser, indoor evaporator coil, blower and air handler should all be inspected to assure maximum efficiency, Kremer explained.Though electricity is a relatively inexpensive source of energy, you can still make energy and cost cutbacks with compact fluorescent lamps as opposed to incandescent bulbs. With just 10 CFL bulbs, you can see an electricity savings of more than $600 over the lifetime of the bulbs, according to Walton. If you do not choose to do away with your incandescent bulbs, you might want to at least look into using ones with less wattage, he added.Both Direct Energy, which has a location in Dublin, Ohio, and Perry’s Heating and Air Conditioning of Lima have professionals to assist with any questions you may have about increasing your home’s energy efficiency while you’re doing your spring greening this year.