Seal Up Places Where Air Leaks
Here are some ways to stop energy leaks, from quick fixes to whole-house weatherization:
- Place “draft snakes” under your doors
- Caulk cracks, particularly around windows and doors, where conditioned air can leak out
- Install thin plastic sheeting over leaky windows
Insulating and upgrading the envelope of your home is an important and cost-effective place to start conserving energy. By making your whole house more efficient at once, you can ensure that later improvements, such as upgrading heating and cooling systems, are only as powerful as they need to be.
Energy Audit and whole-house weatherization programs:
- Austin Energy
- Center Point Energy
- CPS Energy
- City of Denton
- El Paso Electric
- Garland Power and Light
- United Cooperative Services
- Oncor
- Texas New Mexico Power
- Xcel Energy
- Federal tax credits for insulation and other weatherization equipment
If the upfront cost of additional insulation and other weatherization improvements seems daunting, don’t worry. There are several ways that home and business owners can finance the cost of efficiency improvements using low- or no-interest loans:
- Austin Energy Home Performance with Energy Star loan program
- Bryan Texas Utilities
- Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative
- Energy-efficient mortgages: finance the cost of adding energy-efficiency measures by adding them to an FHA-insured mortgage or refinancing. A list of lenders in Texas can be found here.
Low-income residents may qualify for free efficiency improvements to help lower energy bills. Check individual programs for eligibility guidelines.