Bobby O's Top Tips to Keep Winter Utility Bills Down

Outdoor lights, Christmas trees, and colder temperature mean that December is usually one of the most expensive months in terms of utility bills. But with the holiday season behind us, January is a great time to take a closer look at how much energy you’re using and address the issues in your home that are causing those high costs.

One resource that not enough people take advantage of is an energy audit by Energize Connecticut. For a fee, a home energy consultant will come to your home and conduct a full assessment, covering your furnace and water heater, air ducts, windows, doors and more. Plus they can offer rebates for upgrades and repairs. To apply, visit the EnergizeCT website and choose your service provider.

If you’re not in the market for an assessment would still like to enjoy some serious home energy savings, here are the top five spots I always check for air leaks and heat loss.

1. Windows. Believe it or not, hanging heavy fabric drapes can help you retain up to 25% of the heat in your home. This is especially true with large glass doors that aren’t being used in the winter months. Also, be sure to check for gaps. Wooden window frames get warped with age and can lead to serious air leakage. For cracks that are smaller than a quarter of an inch, a silicone caulk will work to plug up areas where heat is escaping. Also, if you feel air coming right through your single panes and the glass rattles with the wind, beef them up with some shrink film. This product can be found at any home supply store and can be cut to fit any size.

2. Doors. We don’t often open the windows in the winter, but doors are a different story. They let lots of air escape, but they can’t be sealed completely because we need to use them. I always suggest inspecting your door sweep to ensure it’s not damaged and replacing it if the bristles have come loose. A door snake or seal can also come in handy, which can be purchased at any big box store or even made at home with an old pair of tights and some rice, beans, newspaper or another filling.

3. Attic. Those of you with an attic hatch are likely losing a ton of warm air through its frame. We all know that hot air rises, so seal up that hatch with heavy duty plastic, or build yourself an insulated box to fit over the entryway if you still need access to storage.

4. Water Heater. Insulate your water heater’s tank and pipes with fiberglass. For the tank, fit a fiberglass blanket using foil tape, but be sure not to cover any valve or pipe openings. For the pipes, you can use fiberglass wrap or foam insulation. By adding a layer of insulation to your water heater, you’ll keep the warmth from escaping into the air and you’ll protect the machine from condensation in the warmer months.

5. Insulation. Most homes simply do not have enough insulation in the walls and attic, which is probably the number one contributor to sky-high energy bills. Insulation acts as a barrier against heat flow, helping to keep the warm air inside the house by slowing the flow and stopping the heat from getting outside. The United States Environment Protection Agency says that with proper insulation, the average home in our area can save approximately 16 to 50 percent in total heating and cooling costs depending on the age and condition of the home. Plus it’s one of the highest rated home improvements in terms of real estate resale value.

Happy New Year Everyone! Here’s to a warm, happy and healthy 2019!

Bob O'Donnell is the owner of O'Donnell Bros, Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro”. All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O'Donnell Bros, Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

What To Look For When Shopping For an Energy Efficient Entry Door

Many people don’t give much thought to their front door, which is surprising considering that it both sets the tone for a home and is a huge contributor to its overall comfort level.

If you’re in the market for a new entry door, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration beyond just color and style. I’m a huge fan of energy efficiency and all too often, I see homeowners losing massive amounts of hot and cold air through ill-fitting old doors with little insulation. Luckily, consumers have some great resources in their corner which can make choosing a new door a real breeze.

Energy performance is often measured by ENERGY STAR®, the symbol created by the Environmental Protection Agency to measure energy efficiency here in the United States. Another label you may see is from the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC), which independently tests and certifies products to give consumers more transparency around efficiency. Both of these rating systems rely on several vital performance contributors that you’ll want to pay attention to. Let’s take a closer look.

1. U-Factor measures how well the product keeps heat from escaping a room, which is vital to our cold winters. It’s important to look for a low number here, which identifies a high performing product. Ratings generally range from 0.20-1.20.

2. Solar Heat Gain Coefficient or (SHGC) measures the opposite. This rating helps a homeowner to know how well a product can resist heat gain, which is crucial in the summer. Again, the lower the number, the better - with 0-1 being the range for this measurement.

3. Air Leakage is exactly what it sounds like and if you’ve ever stood next to a door with worn weatherstripping, you’ll know how important it is. Look for a product with a low air leakage rating, generally expressed in units of cubic feet per minute per square foot of the frame area (cfm/ft2). This measure is also highly dependent on the installation of the product, so having a knowledgeable installer is critical.

4. Sunlight is another important factor which is measured through Visible Transmittance or VT. VT is a fraction of the visible spectrum of sunlight that is transmitted through the glazing of a door and weighted by the sensitivity of the human eye. This is measured in nanometers on a scale of 0 to 1. The lower the number, the less the light is transmitted.

5. Finally, Light-to-Solar Gain (LSG) is the ratio of SHGC to VT and helps homeowners understand how light is transmitted relative to heat gain. The higher the number, the more light that is transmitted without adding heat. This number isn’t always provided but can be useful depending on the positioning of your door and its exposure to the sun.

Don’t forget, exterior doors should look great, but their key function is to provide a barrier against the elements. When you’re shopping for one, keep these factors in the forefront of your mind and you’ll be taking all the steps necessary to maintain your family’s comfort for years to come.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

Simple Sealing Solutions to Retain Lost Heat in the Home

Old, drafty windows can be a killer this time of year - both in terms of comfort and cost. Cranking up the thermostat to combat escaping heat can often double or even triple your energy bills, plus it makes your heat and cooling systems go into overdrive which can shorten their lifespan.

While I am a huge fan of the latest and greatest energy efficient windows on the market, I understand that sometimes replacing that old glass isn’t in the budget. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to give you a few tips to help you retain some of the heat you’re losing from those old windows.

First, it’s important to remember that windows are one of the biggest sources of air leaks, which is a big deal in two of our four seasons. In the cold weather they let the heat escape, and in the warm weather they let it in, making your climate control systems work much harder than they have to. While the simple solutions I've outlined below will help you retain some comfort, window replacement will be your best bet long term if you’re tripling your energy bill during certain months of the year. So let’s get to the tips:

1. Put up curtains. Believe it or not, hanging heavy fabric drapes can help you retain up to 25% of the heat in your home. This is especially true with large glass doors that aren’t being used in the winter months. The fabric acts as a barrier and while it won’t stop the air from getting out, it will slow the leakage. Plus, they can be very helpful in the summer, especially if your house gets a lot of direct sunlight.

2. Seal up gaps. Wooden window frames get warped with age and can lead to serious air leakage. For cracks that are smaller than a quarter of an inch, a silicone caulk will work to plug up areas where air can flow through. For larger gaps and places that need to still open and close, weatherstripping is an excellent solution. It comes in foam, felt, vinyl and other materials and is both cost-effective and easy to install.

3. Add a layer. Single pane windows in homes that were built more than 50 years ago simply can’t stand up to our cold winters. If you feel air coming right through the panes and the glass rattles with the wind, beef them up with some heat shrink film. This product can be found at any home supply store and can be cut to fit just about any pane. Using heat from a hairdryer, the plastic adheres to the glass, giving you a little bit of extra protection against the cold.

4. Close up the attic. While not a window, people with an attic hatch are likely losing a ton of warm air through its frame. We all know that hot air rises, so seal up that hatch with heavy duty plastic, or build yourself an insulated box to fit over the entryway if you still need access to storage.

5. Don’t forget the doors. We don’t often open the windows in the winter, but doors are a different story. They let lots of air escape, but they can’t be sealed completely because we need to use them. I always suggest inspecting your door sweep to ensure it’s not damaged, and replace it if the bristles have come loose. A door snake or seal can also come in handy, which can be purchased at any big box store or even made at home with an old pair of tights and some rice, beans, newspaper or another filling.

Bob O'Donnell is the owner of O'Donnell Bros, Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro”. All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O'Donnell Bros, Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.