Nobody likes opening the electric bill. And in Roseville, California during the hot summer months, your eyes can practically gouge out of your head at how high it is. But you don’t have to take it sitting down. In fact, your home is probably wasting money needlessly. Here are 3 places your home is likely wasting energy — which can be absolute hell on your electric bill.
Garage Door
A lot of people overlook their garages because they often don’t live in them. But even if you just use your garage to store cars, lawn equipment, and sports gear, you really should look at how your garage might be wasting energy. If your garage is attached to your home, it has a huge impact on your air conditioning costs, which is why your electric bill is so high in the summer.
The largest source of energy waste is your garage door. One of the most common reasons for leaks is a broken or missing garage door bottom seal. This is the rubber at the bottom of your garage door that seals out rain, debris, and rodents from entering your garage. Overtime, it can break down and will need replacement.
What’s the condition of your garage door? Is it insulated? You’d be surprised how much you can save by installing an insulated new garage door. It will keep the hot air out of your garage, making it much easier to cool the rest of the home.
Windows
Windows are also a huge source of air leaks — especially if your windows are older. Single pain windows are prone to air leaks.
Installing modern energy efficient windows can significantly bring down your air conditioning costs. They make your home more air-tight. For a more affordable energy saving approach, you can also add storm windows onto single pain windows. These are removable glass that can be placed over existing windows to provide another layer of insulated protection.
Doors
Doors are probably your biggest source of air leaks, especially if you have gaps around the frame. If your door is leaking air, it may be time to replace it with a new one. Sometimes you can install weatherstripping to increase the seal of the door. This is a fairly cost effective procedure you can do yourself.