From Cold to Cozy Eric Eklund of Media made major improvements to his glassenclosed room.
Draft Dodgers by samantha wittchen Three homes hen it comes to home efficiency, every improveimproved ment—no matter how small—helps save energy through and money. If you want to get started, there are a retrofits
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number of do-it-yourself improvements you can make, such as caulking and weatherstripping around windows and doors, filling larger holes with sprayfoam, adding insulation to basement, attic and exterior walls, replacing the air filter on your heating or cooling system, and installing (and using) programmable thermostats. However, to get the biggest bang for your buck, you should hire a professional energy auditor to perform a home energy assessment and create a prioritized list of improvements. ¶ Grid talked to three homeowners who did just that, and subsequently had residential retrofits completed through EnergyWorks, a federally funded program of the Metropolitan Caucus—a group of local elected officials from the five counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The program, available in the five-county region, vets contractors and auditors, supplies lowinterest home improvement loans, and ensures that work is done properly. 6 | Energy Coordinating Agency
Air Sealing and Insulation Improvements Eric Eklund was cold in his own house. “We had wool throw blankets everywhere,” he says, “and we just never felt fully warm.” His 1956 split-level home in Media was quite drafty, largely due to original doors and windows, and a predominantly glass room at the end of his house that was connected by French doors. He was investigating geothermal energy for his home when he heard about the EnergyWorks. The low-interest financing available through the EnergyWorks program were appealing, so he decided to have an energy audit performed, hoping to make his house more comfortable. An audit was performed in early 2011, and Eklund was given a menu of options to improve comfort and efficiency. He chose to have the glass room converted to a three-season room. A thermal barrier was created between the room and the house, and pocket doors replaced the French doors. Blown insulation was also added to the attic to increase the insulating value from R-19 to R-49 (The recommended insulation level for homes in the region is R-38 to R-49.). Other work included replacing the original doors and windows, installing an insulated doggie door and making sure the home was properly air sealed, which keeps conditioned air from escaping the
photos by albert yee