In article , "# Fred #" wrote:
It certainly stops at my house as I'm freezing my ass off for weeks now.
Whenever I turn the thermostat up a notch I know it'll cost me later by
digging deeper into my wallet.

I need some help as my house is so energy inefficient. The house is late
1970s and is located in the Bay Area. Except for the HW heater it has not
been updated, energy wise. It has concrete tile roof without plywood or OSB
sheeting under it (so attic fan is useless) such that it absorbs heat in the
Summer days and release it back into the house during nights - very hot
regarding the second floor bedrooms. Its a two story house with a split
HVAC, about 4" blown in insulation in the attic and single pane windows and
sliding patio doors. I don't have the cash reserve to do everything at once
so where should I start first to get the most efficient use of my money? I'm
looking at long term so I want to do it right. Do I start with replacing the
windows first, than insulation and lastly the HVAC and the front entry
double doors, or is it in a difference sequence? Maybe perhaps a new roof
too? I would like to incorporate some solar energy and/or some kind of heat
recovery system sometime in the future after the basic energy upgrades are
finished. I like to go for it if I could visualize payback within 20 years.

In general:

1. Fix any simple/obvious problems first such as huge gaps
under/around doors and windows, HVAC issues like clogged
filters, duct work that has come apart etc. etc.

2. Next, insulation is likely to produce the best bang for
the buck, by a significant margin.

3. Energy efficient windows can help a lot but they're
also costly compared to items 1 and 2.

In other words, I'd do basic maintenance and insulation
before replacing the windows (unless they're in really
bad shape and need immediate attention).

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