It’s the middle of the winter here in Peoria, IL, and area homeowners can get a lot of mileage out of using their winter downtime to focus on improving home performance. Depending on the age and structural integrity of a home, this can mean a number of different things.
What’s important, however, is to ensure that the entire home is being looked at as a cohesive whole. We call this the “whole home approach,” and its importance cannot be stated boldly enough.
If you’re in the dark about how to boost home performance and reduce your energy bills, an introduction to the whole home approach may be exactly what you’re looking for.
What is the “Whole Home Approach?”
When thinking about ways in which to improve home performance, it’s important to view the home in a similar way as you would a vehicle. Let’s say you drive a new car off the lot — you’re likely not to expect any problems for a while.
Down the road, however, you begin running low on oil. If this seemingly isolated issue doesn’t get fixed, all of a sudden your engine and every other part of the car are suffering. This is due to the fact that the systems which make up your car are all connected with one another, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.
As you might expect at this point, the same general philosophy applies to your home. The home is a complex amalgamation of systems, all of which must perform properly in order to ensure the others aren’t affected in a negative manner. The “whole home approach,” then, is a way of taking a closer look at how each system is affecting home performance and then performing whatever work is necessary for getting things back to normal.
The Benefits of the Whole Home Approach
There are many reasons why taking the whole home approach to home performance is a good idea. They include:
- Improved home comfort
- Enhanced energy efficiency
- Longer lifespan for HVAC systems
- Enhanced indoor air quality (IAQ)
- Lower utility bills
The cold weather is going to be here for a while longer, so now’s the time to see these benefits firsthand.
Getting Started: The Home Energy Audit
At AAA Northgate One Hour, we believe that taking a look at your home in its entirety is the only way to get a clear view of what’s really going on. Our home energy audit is essentially like a trip to the mechanic, except instead of your car, it’s your home that’s the focus.
We’ll perform a battery of tests that help to determine whether you’re having issues with a lack of insulation, poor air sealing or a number of other problems that might be at play. From there, we’ll put together a detailed plan to help you make valuable home upgrades without breaking the bank.