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Your Concerns
Energy Efficiency, Health, and Comfort
A house is something that can easily be taken for granted. There are many other things to think about besides what’s behind the walls and in the attic. The house usually only gets noticed when something goes wrong. The first things people notice are quite basic but they may also seem puzzling.
Why do some houses still feel too cold despite high heating costs? Sometimes, the same house may feel too hot in the summer and turning up the air conditioning raises the electricity bill without raising the comfort level in the house. Or, some of the rooms in the house may feel comfortable but there is often that one room that seems too hot or too cold (commonly a bedroom or bathroom), no matter how the thermostat is set.
When people think about energy efficiency, they often think about saving money or saving the planet, but peering behind the walls and into the attic of a house to make it more energy efficient will usually also make it more comfortable. Other people notice their house not because they are uncomfortable or are paying high utility bills, but because they feel sick.
Some people actually feel sicker when they are inside their home than when they are outdoors. When people with asthma or allergies cough or wheeze more inside, it is a sign that there is something wrong with the house. Other people just feel sick inside but have no other respiratory problems; this “sick house syndrome” is a result of a house actually making otherwise healthy people sick when they are in it.
Sometimes houses show visible signs of being potentially unhealthy. A house that smells musty can have mold and mildew growing in hidden places; sometimes its even visible. However, some health concerns in the home won’t be apparent unless someone goes looking for them. Radioactive radon is a colorless and odorless gas and seeps up from the ground in some areas of the country, while the carcinogen asbestos is commonly found in insulation on ducts hidden away in the crawlspace. The best way to address these comfort, energy efficiency, and health concerns is to learn how a house works as a system in order to help the system perform at its best.
