Older buildings tend to be well built and adapt well to energy retrofitting. There are several things you can do to reduce your utility bill before you consider replacing roofs, windows and doors.

• Insulate the underside of the roof in the attic or crawl space. Sprayed icynene ½ lb open cell foam is a good solution. Many mechanical systems such as ductwork are placed in the attic and yet, this space is often not insulated, forcing the air conditioning to work harder to combat extremely high attic temperatures. Proper insulation will reduce these temperatures and also help the mechanical systems last longer as they don’t have to work as hard.
• Consider moving the mechanical systems off the roof where they are exposed to the full heat of the sun.
• Talk to a window restoration professional about replacing single glazed window glass with factory-sealed double glazed panes.
• Consider radiant heat reflective paints when repainting exterior surfaces. They employ infra-red reflective technology to reduce penetrating heat rays leaving exterior wall surfaces facing the sun up to 30 degrees F cooler.
• If insulating interior walls, utilize a radiant barrier and proper air space (at least 25mm) between the sheetrock/plaster and the exterior wall. The radiant barrier reduces infra-red heat from being absorbed and transmitted into living spaces.