A new report released by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and outlined by Facilities Dive calls on lawmakers to adopt a “resilient cooling strategy” in their communities to combat the dangerous effects of extreme heat on residents.
A comprehensive strategy, which includes building residential homes with resiliency in mind, is essential to address severe weather and rising utility costs, according to Autumn Burton, FAS senior associate for climate, health and environment and a report author. “This report essentially provides a menu of options and models that state and local leaders can use to get started on addressing this issue across all the systems that it touches on. We already have the tools at our disposal, and this is an urgent issue that we could start to solve tomorrow,” said Burton.
Nearly all the 240 cities surveyed by FAS report that they are experiencing an increase of days in the year where cooling is needed to maintain a safe indoor environment. In addition, costs associated with air conditioning are also expected to increase more than any other type of energy use in residential buildings. According to Burton, extreme heat is the “single most lethal weather-related hazard,” making it vitally important for lawmakers to address.
One critical way to help offset the rising costs of utilities and make homes safe and comfortable year-round is to examine a home’s building envelope and ensure the conditioned air used to heat or cool your home is being utilized as efficiently and effectively as possible. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, air leaks can waste up to 40% of the energy used to heat and cool a typical home. When conditioned air escapes, it may as well be hard-earned money going out the window.
Ensuring your home is properly insulated is an often overlooked but critical component to strengthen a home’s building envelope. According to witness testimony at a recent Congressional hearing, “nine out of ten homes are under insulated,” demonstrating the necessity for nearly all homeowners to assess their home’s insulation needs.
Among the various types of insulation, spray foam stands out as the premium, all-in-one insulation material on the market. It not only insulates but air seals your home, saving homeowners up to 15% on heating and cooling costs alone. It’s no wonder why experts say that optimizing insulation in a home is the “best way” to “drop your energy bills,” and that the energy savings realized by upgrading to spray foam insulation can pay for itself in as little as 5 to 10 years.
Lawmakers looking to incentivize stronger and sounder construction methods and practices should consider the innovative properties of building materials like spray foam insulation, which increases resiliency, reduces energy bills, and improves home comfort.