Green Remodeling Guide: From Indoor Air Quality to Energy Efficiency

Comfort and Temperature

• Conduct an energy audit. To do a step-by-step audit yourself, see your local utility’s website or the U.S. Department of Energy’s site. Utility companies or state energy offices sometimes conduct free energy audits; you can also get an in-depth home energy rating system (HERS) assessment for a few hundred dollars.

• Install ample insulation. Most homes will get maximum benefits by insulating an attic space or adding to existing insulation. Follow up with walls, then unconditioned crawlspaces or basements. Eco-friendly insulation choices include cellulose, cotton, and formaldehyde-free recycled-content fiberglass.

• Seal major air leaks. A formal energy audit will determine how much air is leaking into the house and whether ducts are leaking. Fix common gaps by weather-stripping doors, caulking windows and baseboards, and caulking corners where the siding comes together. Visually inspect duct joints to ensure they’re sealed with mastic instead of leaky duct tape.

• Test for backdrafting. Leaky return ductwork, fireplaces, heaters, and other gas-combustion appliances could send carbon monoxide back into the house instead of exhausting it. Backdrafting also occurs when there’s negative air pressure in tightly sealed homes. To test for backdrafting, turn on all the appliances, including the clothes dryer, bath fan, and stove fan, and hold lit incense or a match in front of the draft hood located at the front of the water heater. If the smoke goes up the flue, it’s not backdrafting. If it goes back into the room, you have negative air pressure and backdrafting, and you may need to install a ventilation system.

• Replace single-pane windows with double-glazed. Upgrading windows can improve the comfort of a room dramatically. Double-glazing provides insulation; low-emissivity (low-E) coatings enhance temperature by reflecting heat back into a room in the winter or deflecting heat away during the summer. Look for low-E coatings designed specifically for your climate and window orientation.

• Carefully evaluate mechanical systems. Heat or cool just the areas where you absolutely need it, and look for high-efficiency systems. If you’re putting in a new system, have your contractor calculate the correct load precisely instead of using a ballpark estimate based on cubic feet. Avoid units that use the ozone-depleting refrigerant R-22, currently being phased out but still sold today. In dry climates, install an evaporative cooler, which uses about 30 percent of the energy a conventional air conditioner requires.