How to cost-effectively make a home more energy-efficient

With careful air-sealing and the right insulation details, a leaky older home can become a tight and energy-efficient one.

Builder/remodeler Terry Nordbye received a call about renovating a small rental unit. The owners mentioned that the utility bills were extremely high, so they wanted to add insulation

To make a home more energy-efficient, the ceiling was insulated with R-13 fiberglass batts, and several batts installed between the floor joists hung down into the crawlspace. Some portions of the exterior walls had been insulated during an earlier remodel, but others contained no insulation at all.

There also was clearly a lot of air leakage. Fifty years of electrical and plumbing additions had left the house riddled with holes, and the siding was nailed directly to the studs with no sheathing or air barrier behind it.

Click here to see how Nordbye make a home more energy efficient by making the home air-tight as well as better insulated on a low-cost budget – and how you can employ these methods in the homes you remodel.