*By John Voket

I am always talking about plugging all those dollar bills flying out of the cracks and crevices of your home in the form of lost energy. As we’ve said here so many times before, this ‘heat bleed’ results from outdated HVAC systems, old appliances, or non-energy efficient windows and doors.

However, the main cause of Heat Bleed is inadequate insulation and air leakage – it not only affects older homes, but newer homes as well. According to the Harvard University School of Public Health, United States homes and buildings lose more than $5.6 billion per year to Heat Bleed.

Enter Energy Response Corps, which created ‘Plug,’ an online tool that helps you visualize how much energy your home is wasting and how much money you might be losing. Plug estimates how much energy your home is using by calculating your address; size and age of your home; how it’s heated; and how much you pay to keep it heated and cooled.

Plug also allows you to adjust the evaluation to prevent an overestimation of the effects of Heat Bleed. After your receive results for your home, the site gives you the option to receive an energy audit.

The agency aims to “improve [a home’s] energy efficiency – and help you stop losing money,” so people can use their audit to learn how to prevent heat bleed. Learn more about the Energy Response Corps and heat bleed at: energyresponsecorps.org.