Caulk is Cheap

Lessons learned from Habitat for Humanity

For many years, I have volunteered building houses with Habitat for Humanity, which helps millions worldwide achieve the dream of home ownership.  Habitat is really driven to build energy efficient housing, and I have learned a lot working with them. We can all learn from watching someone who is good at what they do.  Habitat is one of the top home builders in our area, and sets an example for energy efficiency we can all benefit from.

Several years ago, I heard that a local homeowner, after her first winter in her new Habitat house, reported that her highest utility bill during the whole winter was ----- $45!  During that same very cold winter, my highest bill in my old, inefficient house, about the same size as the new Habitat house, was $224. Over the following years, I have taken a lot of steps to improve the efficiency of my own house, and it shows.  Although utility prices have gone up, my highest bill last winter was $153. There are many things that any homeowner can do to save on the utility bill; several of them are not expensive at all.

First, caulk is cheap!  A caulking gun and a tube of builder’s caulk cost less than $10, and anyone with two hands (and maybe a stepladder) can use them.  Habitat caulks everything, from the floor joists on up.  While you can’t do some of this on an existing house, it really helps to caulk around the outside of windows – a lot of cold air creeps in there.  A few hours work with a caulking gun pays dividends when the cold wind blows.

A second Habitat thing that anyone can do is use LED light bulbs and fixtures throughout the house.  (They used to use compact fluorescent bulbs, but as LEDs became available they switched.) Yes, the LED bulbs are a bit more expensive, although the price is coming down, but they last forever, and don’t contaminate the area with mercury if they break.

Third, most homeowners realize that someday the furnace will go out, or the water heater, or some major appliance will stop working.  These won’t be cheap, but as long as you’re replacing them, get the most energy-efficient model you can. Habitat uses tankless water heaters in new houses; but these are best for families of at least four.  For smaller households, they don’t really pay.

A big item that many of our older homes lack is insulation!  Now that I have insulation in my attic, my house is warmer in winter and cooler in summer.  I got the blown-in variety because the hatch up to my attic is tiny, but an ambitious homeowner can also get the kind that unrolls, and lay that down in the attic.  That way is less expensive, although it’s also helpful to know you can get a deduction on your income taxes for that kind of improvement, which helps pay for it.

If all this still seems unaffordable, you may qualify for Arapahoe County’s free Weatherization Services. Contact them to request an application, or find it on their website: www.arapahoegov.com. Phone: 303-636-1982; e-mail: weatherization@arapahoegov.com