When people think of buying antique homes, they often worry that they’ll be living with drafty rooms and rattling windows, but it doesn’t have to be this way. For example, the nonprofit organization Historic New England recently cut energy consumption by 63 percent at one of its largest properties simply by making a handful of inexpensive updates.
Senior Preservation Services Manager Sally Zimmerman of Historic New England was kind enough to talk with me and share great tips on how to keep your antique home warm and cozy. “Start with the small, easier things to do in your home,” Zimmerman recommends. “Most times you can realize pretty good return on your investment by making simple, inexpensive updates.”
Here are five steps that Historic New England recommends to owners of antique homes:
1. Get an energy audit. This is an important first step to identify any problem areas. Organizations such as MassSave.com take a “whole house” approach to helping you identify where you can get the best bang for your buck when it comes to reducing energy waste. They’ll look at everything from your furnace to your windows and see how well they operate. They’ll leave you with a detailed report of recommendations, and can often connect you with incentive programs on products that will improve your home’s energy efficiency.
2. Insulate your attic. “Put a really good cap of insulation in your house,” said Zimmerman. “Densely packed cellulose is great for attic insulation.”
Tip: If you have a home that was built before 1970, you may not want to install more wall insulation, according to Zimmerman. “We’re wary of adding insulation into older homes,” she said. “Older homes weren’t built as tightly as the ones that are built today. If a home is leaky and lacks good ventilation, moisture can get trapped in the wall structure, creating mold and other air quality issues.”
3. Tune up your windows. We hear a lot about replacement windows, but if you have a home that’s more than 50 years old, you probably have windows that are fully capable of being repaired. “Fortunately there are many contractors in the Boston area who specialize in window repair for far less money than it would cost for replacement windows,” Zimmerman said. “Also, invest in storm windows. They only cost a few hundred dollars each but have a significant impact on energy efficiency.” In fact, Historic New England achieved a 30 percent reduction in air infiltration by adding storm windows and repairing the 100-year old windows in its Lyman Estate property.
4. Insulate your ductwork and hot water pipes. In a typical home, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the ducts is lost due to leaks and loose connections. You can use metal tape or mastic sealant to seal the ducts that you can access in the basement, attic, or garage, and wrap them with a foil-faced insulating material. Tip: Never use duct tape for this job. If you prefer not to tackle the job yourself, you can hire a heating/cooling equipment contractor to repair the ductwork for you.
5. Make sure mechanical systems are running optimally. Have your furnace serviced regularly. “If your furnace is very old and is limping along, there are likely more efficient systems and it’s worth upgrading,” Zimmerman said. “Heat pumps, for example, are very efficient.”
Historic New England recommends that homeowners make incremental changes when making updates to their antique homes. “Our basic premise is don’t do something that you can’t undo,” Zimmerman said. “Every time you change something in an older home, it can make a difference in the way the home operates. Make incremental changes, check to ensure things are working well, and then move on to the next step.”
To learn more about maintaining antique homes, visit www.historicnewengland.org where you’ll find white papers, educational programs, as well as a Historic Homes membership that can help you address the everyday needs, questions, and problems you may encounter in a historic home.
Reprinted from my MetroWest Daily News column in Metrowest Homes, a real estate resource for residents of Dover, Holliston, Hopkinton, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, Wayland, Westborough, Weston & beyond.
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