Weatherizing Your Home Can Save Money

ATLANTA - As the cooler months approach, it's time to start thinking about making sure your home is ready for the cold air.

Experts say weatherizing your home could permanently reduce your energy bills.

While a draft from your windows and doors may seem harmless in the summer months, that air is going to be your worst enemy very shortly. But whether your home is new or old, there are things you can do to keep the air out of your home and more money in your pocket.

Jane Ridley's home is an architectural beauty and a decorator's dream. But with its high ceilings and large picture windows, it had become her economic nightmare. In both the summer and winter months, it would cost her a small fortune to stay cool or warm. She says her bills have been as high as $300 for electric and $500 for gas.

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Southeast Energy Assistance

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"Living on fixed income, you're income does not go up with your light bill and down with your gas bill, [it] remains the same," said homeowner Jane Ridley.

In stepped Southeast Energy Assistance. The non-profit organization sent a crew to her home to complete weatherization. Workers come in and make repairs designed to save energy -- completely free of charge to the homeowner. Leonard Harper says before the crew arrived at his home, the inside of his house felt like another continent.

"Sometimes it felt like I was in Antartica," said homeowner Leonard Harper.

"Air infiltration -- it's hidden. You can't see it. We use diagnostic tools. You'd be amazed at how many locations you do have air penetrating your house," said Darren Maguire of Southeast Energy Assistance.

While the Southeast Energy Assistance program is income-based, experts say there are small fixes you can make to weatherize your home and save money.

The Department of Energy suggests you:

• Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows that leak air.
• Caulk and seal air leaks where plumbing, ducts, or electrical wiring penetrates through exterior walls, floors, ceilings, and over cabinets.
• Look for dirty spots in your attic insulation, which often indicate holes where air leaks into and out of your house.
• If you find a hole, seal it with foam or plastic.

For Ridley, the minor repairs have made a major impact on her bill.

"They came in in August. They completed their work by the end of August. By the time I got my September bill, it was down to $120 and I hadn't changed or moved my thermostat at all," said Ridley.

The Southeast Energy Assistance agency only serves Fulton County, but every county has an energy assistance program. To find out if you qualify for the program, call 404-554-1168.