Kelly's Healthy Home

Did you know that PECO does home energy assessments? AND for only $25?! Last week we had PECO out to our home for this service and it was definitely enlightening!

I feel like I have a pretty good idea on how to save money on utility bills. After all, it’s part of my job as a GREEN Realtor and a passion! But I’ll admit, sometimes things are easier said than done. I’ve mentioned the assessment opportunity to my clients yet I’ve never done it! So I finally set it up and hope this is post is helpful.

We don’t have a large home, it’s a row home with about 1300 square feet and 3 floors, main, upper and basement. It took the inspector only about 45 minutes for the evaluation. He started in the basement to look at our heater, which we know is older and not the most efficient. We aren’t prepared to replace that yet, but once it’s dead we’ll definitely upgrade to an energy efficient heater. We do have it serviced annually so that helps with maintenance and longevity. He made recommendation in areas around our back door that could be sealed better to stop drafts. Biggies- sealing cracks around doors and windows.

But the main issue we have is in our attic! EEEK! Our insulation is seriously lacking.

We have 0-3 inches and the recommendation is between 11-15 inches for R49 rating. Yikes! I knew it was bad up there, but not that bad.

Sealing holes and cracks throughout the attic is essential as well. It’s actually recommended to seal first then do insulation. Cracks and gaps can cost up to 20% of your heating and cooling costs- crazy!

The goal is to have a pretty tight home. I’ve read that it can be bad for homes to be too tight. Which he explained it is, but generally most homes are too drafty. To determine the ideal percentage, the best method is to have a blower test. I don’t think we need to go that route just yet, but we definitely need to address the attic.

After the assessment, the inspector will email you his findings, photos and general recommendations.

Check to see if your local energy provider does assessments and make an appointment! It’s really an eye opener- plus we got free LED light bulbs!