Tight Houses Lower Energy Bills

Sealing leaks, upgrading windows and doors and adding more insulation can have a big effect on your energy bills.

This example compares two Albuquerque houses having the same heat load of 2 tons (24,000 BTUs).  An old leaky house with that heat load might be about 600-900  square feet, while a tight house could be bigger, perhaps 1200 – 1,500 square feet.

Appliances, body warmth and incoming sun will warm a house, but if it is leaky that warmth will escape soon.

• • Leaky house – heat would need to turn on as temperatures dip below  65F.
  • Tight, new house – heat would not need to turn on until temperatures dip below 40F.

Even with a fairly efficient gas furnace (96%), heating bills are going to be 3 times higher in the smaller drafty house than the larger tight house in this example.

Back to the Weatherization page.