With winter time knocking on our doors, there is no better way to save on heating costs than to insulate your home keeping the heat in and that nasty cold air out. Many newer homes are insulted well, but if your home was built before 1980, you may want to take a look into how well your home is insulated.
Insulation can be somewhat expensive and may require some money to be invested up front, but the return on investment (ROI) is great in the long run and you can take advantage of some tax benefits if you insulate during 2010.
Insulating your home will require less oil, gas, or whatever form of energy you heat your home with. The reason for this is simply because the less cool air flowing into your home, the less your furnace will have to work to keep the temperature at a comfortable level in the house. This will lessen the about of energy consumed and reduce your heating bill drastically. Also, in the summer, insulation will help keep the heat out and cool air in, reducing the cost of air conditioning in the hot summer months as well.
Insulation is a barrier of kraft paper and fiberglass that is put behind your sheetrock to blanket your home for the outside elements. Insulation is relatively easy to install and is a great do it yourself project that can be completed room by room, one weekend at a time. Besides this barrier type insulation, replacing your older doors with insulated doors will also help to keep heat from leaving your home. If your home has older windows, then investing in new windows will not only make your home look better, but will also help keep your home warmer if windows with Low E gas are installed.
While you’re making your home energy efficient, you are also insulating your pockets some by taking advantage of tax credits. The federal government has issued a tax credit for the past few years allowing home owners to receive as much as 30% cash back on their purchases of insulated home building materials. This has been done because the government sees the importance of saving natural resources used for heating and the most efficient and cost effective way of doing so is by insulating your home.
Now enough reading! Get out to your local home improvement store and purchase some energy efficient products to keep your home warm and toasty this winter.
