I was reviewing my MidAmerican Energy online account this weekend because I noticed my budget billing amount had dropped. Yes, I know! How often does that happen! In January of 2010, I took advantage of an energy audit of my home. This action was prompted by the 2010 Winter of Ice Dams. You can read my blog post from back then and see what I’m talking about. I was told (not surprised) that the insulation levels in my attic were way below the recommended amount and that with more insulation I would be able to save quite a bit of money on my heating bills AND this would help stop the ice dams I had experienced. The estimate was $480.00 to insulation my attic area. I agreed to go ahead and have my attic filled with blown insulation in February of 2010.
You can see by the area highlighted in yellow where the 2010 Winter of Ice Dams occurred (you may go ahead and swap the placement of the words Ice and Dam if you like). What I want you to take special notice of is the following two winters and the peaks of high use of natural gas. Our highest month of natural gas usage has not gone above 200 Therms since insulating the attic.
But the BETTER news is that my MidAmerican energy budget billing has gone down by almost $150 dollars since early 2010. Almost $100 of that savings has occurred since 2011. That $480.00 I spent back in 2010 has been made up several times by the savings on my energy bill. And if I remember right, I think I even got a small tax credit for doing it.
My home is a 1978 Des Moines two story and was built in a time when energy conservation was not as big of a priority as it is today. I am in the process now of replacing all of my windows and patio doors and I am anxious to see how much MORE energy I can save moving forward. I know the payback in savings won’t be as dramatic especially when I’m looking at a several thousand dollar project vs. a few hundred dollars I spent on insulation.
I recommend that you have an energy audit by your local utility company. Here in Des Moines it is MidAmerican Energy. You will be happy (and ultimately save money) that you did!