3. Assess and weatherize your home
Weatherizing is the process of sealing your building against air leaks and insulating against the loss of heating or cooling energy.
The best way to determine your home’s energy rating is a professional assessment.
Today’s energy efficiency standards and weatherization materials are dramatically more effective. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, ninety percent of all American buildings are in need of additional sealing and insulation to meet those new standards.
Get an assessment and have the recommended work completed. (Or see below for a DIY option.) If the price of insulating seems high, consider the rising price of energy. Remember that the cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use.
Learn more below.
Assess your home's energy efficiency
We often say that the cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use. Increasing efficiency is the least expensive way to bring down energy costs. Faster than new HVAC equipment, new Energy Star appliances, or installing solar panels. And the place to start is an assessment. That provides a baseline measurement of your home’s leakiness and its need for better insulation. You can try your hand at doing it yourself (DIY) or hiring a professional.
DIY Assessment While not as complete as a professional energy assessment, you can use HomeBoost, a do-it-yourself home energy assessment kit and service. Essentially, you borrow a small kit and download an app to your phone. After you complete the assessment, you’ll be sent a PDF and video report with DIY insulation and air sealing recommendations.
Central Hudson customers can obtain the kit for free from their local library. For $99, NYSEG customers can borrow the HomeBoost kit here. (Ordering through this link pays Sustainable Putnam with a contribution from HomeBoost).
Professional Assessment The most complete professional assessments include a blower door test, and a thermographic inspection. We highly recommend inquiring to ensure that your contractor will use both these techniques. Blower door tests determine air infiltration: how much air is moving from inside to outside and vice versa, measured in cubic feet per minute and/or air changes per hour (ACH). Thermal imaging helps detect air leakage due to poor sealing, and heat losses due to poor insulation. You can learn more at Energy.gov.
Other Resources NYSERDA, the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority is an excellent resource for all kinds of energy resources. In fact, NYSERDA’s Home Energy Efficiency Programs offer free or low cost residential energy assessments and income eligible discounts for energy efficiency improvements.
Although you may have to pay $200-$300 for these more extensive tests, they are well worth the cost. They provide accurate measurements of your building envelope’s performance. With baseline numbers in hand, you can ensure that quality weatherization work was performed with a followup blower door test (which most contractors perform for no additional cost).
Many NYSERDA-authorized assessors are also qualified to provide sealing and insulating services — but you’re not obligated to get both services from the same contractor. Click below to visit NYSERDA Home Energy Efficiency Programs.
Sealing & Insulating
Once your assessment is completed, your contractor will provide you with estimates for recommended sealing and insulating work. Remember that you can get additional estimates for the same recommended work from other contractors. Choosing a contractor that inspires confidence may be worth spending more for a job well done.
Remember also that you do not need to have all of the recommended work performed right away, or ever. Feel free to choose, for example, to insulate the attic this year, but hold off on insulating the walls until later. (Of course, prices may increase if you break it down, or if you wait, and the longer you wait, the more you delay your savings.)
New York State and the federal government provide some assistance to subsidize this work through upfront rebates and tax credits. Click the Incentives Calculator button at Rewiring America to determine your potential federal benefits.
Click the NYSERDA Comfort Home program button below. It offers discounted “seal and insulate” packages through its qualified contractors, and federal Inflation Reduction Act will provide upfront incentives and tax credits up to $1,200 for weatherization work.
Finding a Local Contractor
As with any major home improvement, you should get estimates from at least three contractors. Go online to NYSERDA’s to find companies and receive free estimates, or use the links below to several companies that work locally.
Finally, be sure you’re comfortable with the contractor’s staff before you sign a contract. Look at reviews on more than one website and check for complaints via the Better Business Bureau as well.
Below is a short list of local contractors from the NYSERDA-approved contractor list and the services they provide:
- Adaptive Insulation: Assessment, Air Sealing, Insulation
- Energy Management Solutions: Assessment, Air Sealing, Insulation, Heat Pumps
- Healthy Home Energy & Consulting: Assessment, Air Sealing, Insulation, Heat Pumps, Energy Recovery Ventilators
You can find additional NYSERDA-approved contractors by clicking the Find a Contractor button below