Seal Up Places Where Air Leaks

Here are some ways to stop energy leaks, from quick fixes to whole-house weatherization:

  • Place “draft snakes” under your doors
  • Caulk cracks, particularly around windows and doors, where conditioned air can leak out
  • Install thin plastic sheeting over leaky windows

Insulating and upgrading the envelope of your home is an important and cost-effective place to start conserving energy. By making your whole house more efficient at once, you can ensure that later improvements, such as upgrading heating and cooling systems, are only as powerful as they need to be.

Energy Audit and whole-house weatherization programs:

If you don’t see your town or utility listed in the links above, and the upfront cost of additional insulation seems daunting, don’t worry. There are several ways that home and business owners can finance the cost of efficiency improvements using low- or no-interest loans:

  • Energy-efficient mortgages: finance the cost of adding energy-efficiency measures by adding them to an FHA-insured mortgage or refinancing. Energy-efficient mortgage lenders are listed here.
  • For businesses, NH Electric Co-op also has a program—called SmartSTART—where customers can finance efficiency improvements through on-bill payments.

Low-income residents may qualify for free efficiency improvements to help lower energy bills. Check individual programs for eligibility guidelines.

Next — Improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling equipment