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Weatherize Your Home

Weatherize Your Home

Summary: Airsealing, Insulation

Description

Some say Weatherization is the most important step in any home energy plan. After your home energy audit, you can identify the ares of your home that are losing or gaining heat. From there, you can consider projects like air sealing, insulating, and improving ventilation.

Weatherization can be complicated, but by answering a few key questions in our Deep Dive, we hope that you can gain a better understanding of its importance:

You can begin exploring the answers to these questions in our Deep Dive. Our Energy Navigators can help you with the weatherization process by developing a plan based on your home energy audit. We can also help you understand the available rebates, tax credits, and financing options and find local contractors. 

Deep Dive

Although it may seem less glamorous than some of the state-of-the-art technologies available to improve home efficiency, weatherization is one of the most important steps you can take. If you add up all the cracks, gaps, and openings in your home, the heat loss/entry could be the equivalent of leaving a window open year-round. Over the past 10 years, weatherization technology has greatly improved, allowing your home to be more comfortable and safe than ever.

What are the benefits of weatherization?

Not only does weatherization save money on energy by maintaining temperature, it also controls moisture and keeps out pests and pollutants. There is strong evidence that weatherization benefits general health, as well as many other components of health. Read the full list of health benefits here. 

Why is it so important that I weatherize my home before taking other steps?

Before investing in actions like installing a heat pump, it’s worth ensuring that your home is fully weatherized, so that your heating and cooling mechanisms can work as efficiently as possible. Doing so is proven to greatly reduce the potential savings from other appliances and technologies you install. 

How much can I expect to save on energy bills from weatherization?

How much you will save from weatherization depends on several factors like the size of your home and your energy use. Colder climates, like ours, generally see higher savings from weatherization.

For example, a customer who weatherizes while electrifying can save anywhere from $150 to $1,200 annually. Weatherizing before installing a heat pump can lower the lifetime cost of the heat pump by $8,000 to $22,000. 

To read more about the energy cost benefits of weatherization, read this blog post. 

There are also enormous non-energy cost benefits of weatherization, which come from the health benefits of weatherization. For every dollar invested in weatherization, weatherization returns $2.78 in non-energy benefits. For example, the lifetime health and household-related savings (like savings on medical costs) for each weatherized home is $14,148. 

What does the weatherization process include? 

In order to weatherize your home, you first need to assess your electrical usage and have your home assessed by an energy auditor. Once the auditor determines where your home is losing energy, they will recommend which weatherization services would benefit your home the most. If you are working with Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO), you will not be able to decide which weatherization services are performed, they will apply the full range of services. 

The services available include sidewall insulation, air sealing, and basement and attic insulation, among others.

Depending on whether or not you qualify for free weatherization via CVOEO, the process can take anywhere from a couple of months to two years. 

Use this diagram to see one example outlining potential home weatherization steps. 

Can I do it myself?

There are several weatherization projects that you can complete at home, without the help of a professional. Weatherizing by yourself may not result in the same amount of savings as hiring a professional, but they are a great way to quickly tighten up your home. If you choose to weatherize your home yourself, be sure to keep track of your expenses, they may be eligible for Efficiency Vermont’s DIY rebate. 

Get started on weatherization by focusing on your basement and attic. These spots are especially vulnerable to air leaks, and can benefit from insulation and air sealing. 

Watch this video on how to insulate your basement and this video on how to insulate your attic. 

In addition to air sealing and insulating your attic and basement, windows and doors are a common source of heat loss/entry in homes. You can weatherize exterior doors and windows using weatherstripping and caulk. 

Read the full Efficiency Vermont guide on weatherization here, and the Department of Energy’s guide here. 

If I rent, can my home still be weatherized?

Yes, if you rent your home, you need to get permission from your property owner before weatherizing your home. If you get the property owner’s permission, or if you own and rent a property, you can still apply for CVOEO’s weatherization assistance. 

View the application for renters and property owners here. 

How do I know if I qualify for weatherization incentives?

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program offers weatherization assistance on a state and local level. In Addison County, the local administrator of DOE funds is CVOEO. Use CVOEO’s eligibility guidelines to determine whether or not you qualify for free weatherization services.

There are some other weatherization incentives available through Efficiency Vermont, including a DIY weatherization rebate. 

Sources Referenced: 

 

Steps to Take

Weatherization isn’t all that complicated. Here are the key steps: 

  1. Have a home energy audit performed by a professional. 
  2. Review the audit report to learn about key weatherization projects that will address issues identified.
  3. Consider whether any projects are suitable to do yourself. 
  4. Explore the finance options and timing of projects that can help reduce or even eliminate the costs of weatherization.
  5. Hire a contractor to perform the weatherization projects. Save your receipts and take pictures to document the process, so that you can be eligible for rebates and tax credits. 
  6. Share your experience on our site. 

Once your house is weatherized, a great next step is to plan for adding a heat pump.

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