Replies

1. 
   aaronbeckworth | Jan 13, 2021 08:54pm | #1

   My advice would be to live your house for awhile and enjoy it for what it is. Save your money and make the improvements down the road when you can afford them. In the meanwhile, replace only what is necessary.

1. 
   SwarfSandwhich | Jan 14, 2021 11:09am | #2

   Hi Aaron, thanks for taking the time! This isn't the first time we heard this, and we're definitely starting to come around to it.

2. 
   brian_wiley | Jan 14, 2021 02:20pm | #3

   I think Aaron’s advice is valid for sure, but if you’re like me it’s pretty hard to not apply some of the things you learn here.

   To that end, encapsulating and conditioning your crawlspace might be a good place to start. It’s laborious, but materials are pretty inexpensive relative to some of the benefits it’ll bring. It also likely wouldn’t be affected by any plans for a second story, assuming your foundation doesn’t need any upgrades.

3. 
   joshdurston | Jan 14, 2021 05:10pm | #4

   Air-sealing and insulating the crawl space according to best practices and getting a nice HP water heater is probably a good first step that may not be affected by future 2nd floor plans.

   You'll find that around here air source heat pumps usually get the nod, especially when there are budget constraints.
   You may be able to get an ASHP and some solar for the price of a geo system and come out ahead. But if your changing things in the future and the furnace works live with it for a season or two first, but do you homework now just in case.

4. 
   johngfc | Jan 16, 2021 01:06am | #5

   Our house is a bit older than yours, and the initial best bang for the buck is what everyone says: air sealing everywhere - attic, outside, foundation, door seals, window seals, outlet boxes, etc. Then insulation - crawl space walls, rim joists (esp. under doors), more in the attic. Better windows will (perhaps dramatically) improve comfort, but they probably won't change your utility bill much. We'd need more information about your house to make any more specific recommendations. If you've got good S exposure, maybe PV on the roof (but make sure the shingles are in good condition before mounting panels, and we're in a tough hail zone).

5. 
   zollerbuilders | Jan 17, 2021 12:11pm | #6

   Arron’s advice is extremely sound.

   It would be nice if you can get the utility bills for at least the previous year so you can establish a baseline energy use. Put those bills in Energy Star Portfolio Manger so you can manage and track your usage. Portfolio manager is nice because it normalizes the energy use for weather and its free. Also pay someone to come and do a blower door test. Establishing a baseline will be key.

   Personally, I wouldn’t do any mechanical or electrical system upgrade until your envelope is bulletproof. If you have to start working on something (I know I wouldn’t be able to wait), start with the low hanging fruit...AIR SEALING!!! If you end up doing a blower door test, have them bring a smoke machine so you can pinpoint the leaks. You can also buy a cheap smoke machine online.

   If you start with a tight envelope, all future improvement ROIs will be maximized.

   Good luck. Jared.

6. Expert Member
   BILL WICHERS | Jan 17, 2021 06:13pm | #7

   +1 for insulating and sealing the crawl space. That's not a super expensive project to DIY, probably under $1,000 or so in materials and several days worth of work. You could also just start with the rim joist area, which MIGHT make a big improvement for even less money (since most of the cost of the crawlspace encapsulation project is probably going to be the liner and the insulation for the walls). Get a few tubs of duct mastic and seal the joints and seams of all the ductwork down there -- that's messy and time consuming, but cheap, and can make a big difference too.

   I'd recommend putting in some REAL lights in the crawlspace prior to working in it. Those lights will make all future work in there lots easier. You'll thank yourself for those lights every time you go in there in the future.

   All the other projects are going to be more expensive. 20 years is getting old for a furnace, so I'd check the heat exchanger to make sure things are safe. If it's OK, then you're ok waiting on that. When it's time to replace, you want one of the 90+ percent efficient furnaces with sealed combustion (uses seperate air from outside for the burner). I wouldn't do this until your current furnace dies, unless you have an imminent safety or potential failure issue with your existing furnace. BTW, when you check that furnace, replace the air filter and check the dampers.

   Flush your water heater, check for rust depostits or leaks. If the tank is failing, you'll need to replace the water heater. If the tank is still ok, wait to replace the unit -- BUT REPLACE THE ANODE ROD. Almost no one every replaces the anode rod, and if you maintain that, the tank will last a LOT LOT longer. It's not even a $50 part, and just needs a big wrench to do (but a suitable socket and breaker bar makes it easier).

   I'd wait a while on the other stuff. Build up some cash reserves, learn about your home, read lots of articles on GBA and dream about the future. Get ideas for what you might want to change in your house as you live in it for a while. After a year or two, you'll have some money saved up for some bigger projects AND you'll have a better idea of what you really want to do, what's going to really be important to YOU, and what will make the biggest impact in YOUR house. You get an added bonus too: all the technology will be better in a few years and probably cheaper too! Excellent! :-)

   BTW, do one other thing too: make sure all your electrical services (power, phone, cable TV, satellite, etc.), come in at one spot and make sure all the grounds are bonded together to a common point. This is current code and makes a really big difference in terms of protection if you have lightning or power problems in a wind storm. It's very cheap to do too.

   Bill