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Sustainability + Cost Efficiency Local professionals offer tips for making your home energy efficient
By Ed Carroll Making your home energy efficient isn’t just something that’s good for the environment. It also offers a slew of benefits to homeowners and condo-dwellers alike. An energy-efficient home can reduce your heat loss, making it more comfortable and helping save money on utility bills. There’s a wide range of options available to potentially make a home more energy efficient, some more extensive than others. Industry professionals John Hansen, president at Suntrol in Bedford Heights, Tristan Rader, Ohio program director at Solar United Neighbors, and John Marcus, president at Designer Accents at Home in Bedford Hts., share their thoughts on why energy efficiency is so important and improvements you can make to your home, condo or even apartment. Hansen says it’s “common sense” to make your home more efficient. “Basically, it reduces the amount of heat you put into your house from disappearing,” he says. “It also would reduce the air conditioning that you’re paying for to cool the house from escaping. You’re paying for items that are disappearing.” The options available to apartment renters are likely limited, as most of the issues energy efficiency addresses are handled by the landlord, he says, but there are some fixes. While renters may not be able to replace the old glass in inefficient windows,
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Spring 2022
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they may be able to put up window film to keep more of the hot or cold air inside the apartment – though it won’t stop it from escaping completely. Hansen says some of his customers are initially skeptical that a relatively small piece of film can make a big difference, but it can. If anyone is curious about adding window treatments, Suntrol offers free estimates and they like to help inform people about their options, he adds. Window treatments can also benefit those living in houses or condos, though sometimes condo associations have rules or limitations on the types of treatments owners can use, Marcus says. He says Designer Accents at Home works with customers to find a window treatment that works for them and fits their interior design. The company sends a designer out to the house
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