Summer is a time for vacations at the beach, no more school, enjoying the local pools or a lake day, and good old barbeques. All this fun can mean spending more during these hot summer days than other times of the year. All those ice cream cones, pool noodles, new grills, and family trips can take a toll on your wallet. One thing that shouldn’t be draining you dry is your home. Summer days can mean home savings while you are out having fun. According to our HEAT Squad auditors, here are four ways you could save money this summer and for all summers’ to come!
Insulate and Save
People often believe that insulation is just for the winter months. But did you know that insulation can benefit your home all year long? This can be especially true in the summer when energy bills tend to be higher. Often more than heat sources, home air conditioners spike the most on your electric bills. If your home is adequately insulated, your air conditioners or heat pumps (they work great in the summer to cool your home!) will not need to work as hard to keep your home cool.
Timing
So many people only think to insulate their home when they are already cold. By insulating your home over the summer, not only do you reap the benefits all year round, but it is easier to schedule services to insulate as they are often booked during the colder months. Insulating in the summer also gives you time to repair any holes or weak spots in your home that are allowing air to enter or exit.
Good Incentives
There are statewide incentives through Efficiency Vermont and the Vermont Clean Network (VECAN) to promote weatherization. The goal is to get homeowners to carry out weatherization projects to lower energy use. Their goal is to help Vermonters reduce the usage and consumption of fossil fuels by 2050. Energy performance contractors and auditors such as HEAT Squad can help you receive Efficiency Vermont incentives after doing energy projects on your home. This is especially great news for low-moderate households which will have incentives increasing from $2000 to $4000 starting July 2019. Do you need financing to make energy upgrades? HEAT Squad offers affordable loans AND is part of the Heat Saver Loan program that can offer you discounted interest rates on projects and purchases.
Help your Air Conditioner
If your air conditioner unit is running less efficiently than it should, it will be working harder to cool your home and thus will be pulling more energy to keep up. This could be because your air conditioner is older, needs it’s filters changed, or could even mean your home has too many air leaks. An energy audit performed by the HEAT Squad will show you how your whole home is performing and you’ll learn how to prevent air leaking in and out of your home.
The goal in summer is to stay cool and keep your home running smoothly and saving on energy bills. Maintaining a healthy and comfortable home all year round is our passion and we want to help you reach those goals. If you think your home could use some help this summer, give our team a call at 802-438-2303.
