Help with Making Home More Energy Efficient

We just got Radiant Barrier, more attic fans and more sprayed in insulation in December. Hoping it helps with the electric bills in the summer. A co-worker told us about it and he's been happy with his investment.

P.

I think it was channel 4 that had a spot about this a while back and there was a company that would come out and evaluate your house and give you suggestions. the lady they showed lowered her bill by half if i remember correctly. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the company but maybe someone else does and will let us both know.

the solar screens are a must!

We got the radiant barrier spray in our attic this winter so we haven't given it a test drive for summer yet. We DID get solar screens and that really did help. Something else that I did was to (and this sounds really tacky but you can't really tell) was to get a thick sheet and put it on a shower curtain rod and hang it BEHIND the wood blinds but up against the window so that it not only blocks out light/heat but also works to make the room darker which means little ones sleep better. I've been looking for ways to do this as well.... running the ceiling fans, keeping the digital thermostats programmed to reasonable temperatures... I'm interested in ways to do this as well... wish half my house was underground to keep it cooler because I SO feel your pain about the $500 electric bills in the summer!

One very simple thing that made a big difference for us was to switch to the very cheap fiberglass air filters in out A/C unit. I was getting the expensive "allergen filtration" ones and have learned since that they restrict air flow and make your unit work less efficiently. Now we get the fiberglass ones that are about $1 each. We noticed an instant drop in our bill back in August. Our neighbors just got solar screens and we're comparing bills for a couple months before we get those.