# Utility Usage Improvement??



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Closing any holes going to the attic and insulating the access door may not save a bunch of money but it will keep that moisture out of the attic and that is a big plus for the health of the building.


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## CodeMatters (Aug 16, 2017)

Thermal curtains?


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Diana, do you know when the windows were installed? Technology has come a long way in the years, and although expensive, changing windows to more energy efficient ones would help. The thermal curtains will definitely help with the old windows. How do you heat your water? Electricity or gas? Where is the water heater located? Main part of heated house or in crawl/basement where it is colder? Water heaters can be energy hogs.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

The best places to check in the attic are the large leaks, usually around plumbing vents or chimneys. The attic access needs to be air sealed and insulated, lots of videos on how to. Any similar leaks in the basement ceiling will also help.

Did your energy auditor use an Infrared Camera. If not now would be a great time to do so as the cold shows up extremely well. I have done many walkthroughs here in Maine during the winter and my IR camera has been impressive. You can rent them or there are now some lower priced units you can purchase and a couple of threads here to illustrate what you can see.

Did your audit include a blower door test and if so did they tell you what the resulting reading was.

Bud


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## DianaKaye (Oct 15, 2017)

chandler48 said:


> Diana, do you know when the windows were installed? Technology has come a long way in the years, and although expensive, changing windows to more energy efficient ones would help. The thermal curtains will definitely help with the old windows. How do you heat your water? Electricity or gas? Where is the water heater located? Main part of heated house or in crawl/basement where it is colder? Water heaters can be energy hogs.


It's that 70+ gallon gas water heater located in the unconditioned basement. The home warranty company just replaced two valves and added an expansion tank to bring it to code.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

We posted at the same time.
You mention an unconditioned basement, is it at all insulated.

Bud


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## DianaKaye (Oct 15, 2017)

Bud9051 said:


> We posted at the same time.
> You mention an unconditioned basement, is it at all insulated.
> 
> Bud


I haven't seen any insulation, but it's possible. The basement is finished, so I don't know what's behind the gyp board. We looked and discovered that the rear entrance (east side, back of house) is cantilevered. I guess that accounts for how incredibly cold the tile is there. It's almost like a draft from the kitchen area to the rest of the house.


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## DianaKaye (Oct 15, 2017)

Bud9051 said:


> The best places to check in the attic are the large leaks, usually around plumbing vents or chimneys. The attic access needs to be air sealed and insulated, lots of videos on how to. Any similar leaks in the basement ceiling will also help.
> 
> Did your energy auditor use an Infrared Camera. If not now would be a great time to do so as the cold shows up extremely well. I have done many walkthroughs here in Maine during the winter and my IR camera has been impressive. You can rent them or there are now some lower priced units you can purchase and a couple of threads here to illustrate what you can see.
> 
> ...


Wow, Bud! You have so much knowledge. She tested the temperature of the water from two faucets (two different water heaters) and the temp was ok. She looked in the attic and saw where some of the R30 had been moved, suggested it be moved back. She told me our one electric bill was average for three people living in the house, but couldn't explain why the second electric bill was so high. She recommended we have a utility guy come out to locate the usage. We had our electrician come out and after finding nothing to warrant high usage, he said to turn on the heat pump for the second area. Once we did the meter started running fast. 
She didn't use any infrared cameras and I really like the idea. It'll be easy enough to check out those videos and rent/buy one. Definitely appreciate the info. Thanks, Diane


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

A cantilever needs to be super air sealed and insulated from below with rigid insulation to the outside and bottom. Then plywood covering that bottom.

Does your finished basement have a drop ceiling where you can move the tiles to see what is up there or is it drywall (sheetrock)? If you can get into that ceiling you might be able to see the top of the outside wall and maybe see what they used for insulation. Or see the exterior rim like that cantilever.

Bud


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