Discovered a free way to audit my home's energy leaks in an afternoon

I borrowed a thermal camera from my local library's tool lending program and found cold spots around 3 windows and my front door in under 2 hours. Sealing them with cheap caulk and weatherstripping cut my heating bill by about $30 a month. Has anyone else tried borrowing gear from their library for climate projects?

3 comments

3 Comments

sandra_bennett5927d agoTop Commenter

@dakotab93, have you actually tried comparing the savings from a library camera to a pro audit?

gibson.avery27d ago

Oh man, I did the EXACT same thing last winter! My library had a thermal camera too and I found cold air pouring in around my attic hatch and an old basement window I forgot existed. Fixed both with like 15 bucks in supplies and my heating bill dropped way more than I expected, probably closer to $40 a month. People don't realize how much small gaps add up, especially in older houses built before energy codes got strict. I also borrowed a kill-a-watt meter from the same library program and found my ancient fridge was guzzling power like crazy, that thing paid for itself in a month.

dakotab9327d ago

Big deal, you found some drafts and saved thirty bucks. Most houses are already tight enough that sealing a few gaps won't make a dent in heating costs unless you live in a leaky mobile home. Borrowing a thermal camera is fun and all, but you'd probably get more bang for your buck just getting a home energy audit from the power company (they do them cheap or free sometimes).