Save Your Home from Winter Woes
The homes we love don't always love us back during winter. Cold air sneaks in while furnace heat leaks out, creating a costly problem and leaving us uncomfortable. Fortunately, many Illinois residents are improving their home's energy efficiency thanks to Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®, an Illinois Energy Now program funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Research shows that the best way to address drafty rooms, comfort issues, and high energy bills is to treat the house as a system with interrelated parts. Illinois Home Performance takes this whole-home approach to efficiency, helping homeowners identify energy-wasting weak spots and repair them with affordable upgrades. Participants who achieve a fifteen percent reduction in their home's energy use through the program receive a Certificate of Completion to celebrate their achievement.
Illinois Home Performance certification is a three-step process. First, a Participating Contractor performs a whole-home energy assessment, using diagnostic tools to assess the home for air leaks, poor insulation, and inefficiencies with heating and cooling systems. Then the contractor proposes the most cost-effective improvements for the home which typically include sealing air leaks and installing insulation. Lastly, the contractor does another diagnostic assessment at the end of the project to make sure their upgrade saves the energy they promised.
Homeowners who insist on the Illinois Home Performance process often report an increase in comfort and a decrease in winter energy costs, no longer battling the drafts, moisture and overworking furnaces brought on by cold weather. To help Illinois residents realize these benefits, most Illinois utilities offer rebates, financing options, and quality assurance.
When participants are ready to sell their home, their real estate agent can use their Illinois Home Performance Certificate to communicate the value of the improvements that were made. Recent national research suggests that green certifications can help homeowners sell their home faster and for a premium, thanks to homebuyers who are insisting on safe and comfortable homes that are inexpensive to own.
Now is the perfect time to save your home from winter's cold and costly bills. Visit www.illinoishomeperformance.org to find a list of Participating Contractors that can help you start your project, or call (866) 395-1032 to learn more and stay warm this winter.