LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel talks about features of the LaHouse Home and Landscape Resource Center at an open house on Jan. 17. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

LaHouse’s fireplace, which is inside a sealed glass chamber, saves energy by bringing combustion air in from outside. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

A carbon monoxide detector is featured as a “cozy” technology at LaHouse’s winter open house. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

News Release Distributed 01/20/15

BATON ROUGE, La. – Keeping your house warm during winter can be a challenge if it is poorly insulated or has air leakage points. But there are ways to identify those problems and conserve energy.

“It’s important to build tight and vent right,” said Claudette Reichel, LSU AgCenter housing specialist and director of the LaHouse Home and Landscape Resource Center. “When you’re building a new home or making improvements, you want to seal gaps that allow random air leakage because you’re paying extra to cool or heat air that ends up outside.”

LaHouse hosted its winter open house on Jan. 17, when visitors heard about the benefits of “cozy” technologies, such as a direct-vent, glass-sealed combustion fireplace, high-performance insulation systems and heat-holding windows and doors. They also had a chance to tour the demonstration home and ask questions.

Good insulation is critical. An energy-efficient house is like a Styrofoam cooler, Reichel said — it keeps the area inside cool or warm because it has insulation on all sides. Houses with air leaks act like a cooler that has holes punched in it.

Homeowners should consider adding insulation around air ducts, water heaters and pipes, and in attics. Any duct leaks and holes in ceilings should first be sealed before adding insulation, Reichel said.

Identifying air leaks is easy using a thermal leak detector available at home improvement stores or online for less than $50, Reichel said. By pointing the detector around a room, homeowners can find leaks, then seal them with caulk or foam sealant. Drafts around doors and windows can be remedied with new weather-stripping.

The detector can also help identify air duct leaks, which should be repaired with mastic sealant, a toothpaste-like substance. Duct tape does not last very long, Reichel said.

Some improvements can help with energy efficiency year-round, Reichel said. Windows with solar film, for example, reduce heat loss in winter and block excess heat from entering in summer.

Every degree a thermostat is set down in winter or up in summer helps save money, Reichel said. To save money in winter, homeowners can set the temperature between 60 and 65 degrees if they’re away during the day. Programmable thermostats are helpful because they turn the heat on and off at set times.

Ironically, winter is the worst time to use a typical fireplace, Reichel said. Chimneys draw air outside, and dampers must be left open to let embers die out. Heated air is sucked up the chimney and goes outside, which also causes cold drafts inside the home.

LaHouse’s fireplace is inside a sealed glass chamber and uses combustion air that is brought into the firebox through ducts that go outside. The fireplace still provides some heat and the aesthetic appeal of logs on a fire.

Reichel said homeowners can improve the efficiency of traditional fireplaces by adding tightly fitted glass doors and outside combustion air ducts, which reduce drafting as well as air quality hazards.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is another concern in colder months, so homeowners should invest in a detector.

“Choose one that provides a digital reading of the CO level, not just an alarm,” Reichel said. “This way you can see if there is a rising or unhealthy level of CO that isn’t high enough to set off the alarm.”

When making improvements, homeowners should make sure they hire qualified professionals. If work is not done properly, it will not help reduce energy costs.

“It can be a big help to hire a certified energy rater or consultant to determine the most effective energy improvements and to inspect or do performance testing for quality assurance,” Reichel said.

Olivia McClure