My older wood windows will never perform as well as newer ones will, right?
Basically this is a full blown myth unless you are comparing them to top of the line triple glazed windows with an R Factor of 5+. For more information, you might want to look at the next question.
I was thinking of replacing my windows, will that really save me 30 - 40%?
It depends but generally not even close. While each house is different - heat loss ranges from 8% to 20% via the windows and that issue can generally be corrected without replacing them. While air leakage has a lot to do with heat loss, on average you are looking at around 10% of the overall air leakage in a house being attributed to the sash pockets and poor air sealing. If you add up the worst cases (i.e. aluminum single pane windows with a really bad install) you are barely going to hit 30%. If you doubt that, read the small print on most manufacturers sites - the guarantee only applies to certain models (triple paned windows) & they do have a set limit for how much they will rebate (i.e. an amount they charged you for to get the guarantee).
To stop ice-dams and save money on my heating bills, all I need to do is add more insulation in my attic, right?
While this may help some, you are being setup for failure, and possibly a fire. One of the first things to remember, is no matter how thick the insulation is - if air can move through it, so will heat & moisture. The first step is to properly air-seal all the penetrations in the attic, then make sure all junction boxes are covered & tagged, any other additional safety concerns are dealt with (knob & tube wiring, aluminum wiring, non IC can lights, etc... are taken care of properly), make sure the soffit ventilation is unimpeded, and then & only then can you consider adding in more insulation.
Speaking of insulation, I have fiberglass batts & everyone says I can just blow cellulose on top of them. Is that really a good idea?
No, no, and no - yes I know plenty of people say, but I have done it that way for years & never had an issue. That's nice but it still does not make it right. First by compressing the batts, you are decreasing the effective R-Value (I know this is contrary to popular belief, but even some of the better manufacturers have compression R-Value sheets on their sites). Second, if you are doing the job properly, you have already had to pull up the batts, cleaned the area & air sealed it, so you are actually waste more time trying to reinstall it properly than you would spend on the material. Third, along the lines of properly installing it, batts are one of the hardest items to install properly unless you take your time to get it fully in contact with the Sheetrock and leaving no voids, gaps or compressed areas.
I need a new HVAC unit, shouldn't I just replace it with the same size one?
Not on your life, in many cases the original one is over-sized, which could help explain why you were feeling so sticky during the summer. In other cases, it may have run constantly & never cooled anything down properly - was it because it was undersized, the ducts are sending all the cool air elsewhere, or... If you are in the market for a new one, get an audit done first. In many cases we can help you tighten things up, find out the trouble spots & get a properly sized and sealed unit installed that will not only meet your needs, but keep you comfortable & save you money in the long run.
Isn't green building all about the materials (i.e. recycled, low V.O.C., etc...)?
Not a chance, just like "green" is not all about energy. Here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself; what good does a recycled product due if it is installed improperly, or in an area that it is not meant for? What good does a gallon of low-voc paint do sitting in a garage? What good does it do to use a product that will not last as long and takes more energy to produce it? Green building is about the process and how the products are used.
Aren't all energy audits just the same?
Seriously? If you review our energy audit page, you will spot 4 different ones for just the residential arena and that does not include all the options that are available. RESNET itself lists 4 differing types of audits, and that doesn't include what BPI, and numerous other people and organizations consider an audit. In most cases, if a window company, siding company, radiant barrier company, HVAC company, etc... offer a free or reduced audit - would you care to guess what their recommendations will be based on. Now I will grant you there are a few good pennies out there, but in many cases you are dealing with a salesmen out to earn a commission.
How about those offered by a utility?
In some states with really good programs, you can actually get a top of the line audit at a subsidized price. Here in Alabama, well lets put it this way - there are a few reasons why we are tied for 48th place in the Energy Efficiency Measurement Scorecard.
