Savings tips for older homes
July 2025
Consider framing techniques, heating and cooling equipment, and insulation levels to maximize your new home’s energy efficiency.
by Miranda Boutelle, Contributing Columnist
Q: How do I improve the efficiency of my older home while keeping its charm?
A: I love old homes. The details and craftsmanship have always drawn me to them. The features of older homes can make them less efficient than modern construction, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can keep the charm and make your home more energy efficient.
Start by prioritizing the invisible upgrades that enhance your home’s comfort and efficiency. When we were kids, I don’t think any of us thought, “When I grow up, I want to spend my hard-earned money on insulation.” It’s not as exciting as new countertops or a remodeled bathroom, but air sealing and insulation can save you money every month. Then you can use the savings for aesthetic improvements.
Many older homes lack proper insulation. Insulation offers several benefits beyond sealing your home and preventing outdoor air from seeping in. It reduces outdoor noise, enhances your home’s quietness and improves your overall comfort.
Always properly air seal before you insulate. Older homes with pocket doors, coved ceilings, dumbwaiters, doors to attic spaces and laundry chutes allow indoor air to escape through the cavities, gaps and cracks around these classic features. Sealing off open cavities around those features often requires plywood, rigid foam or drywall fastened into place and caulked around the edges.
Watch for framing features that create drafts. Balloon framing is a construction method where wall studs extend from the foundation to the roof, allowing air to flow freely through those spaces. Second floors with knee wall attics on both sides are known for air leakage. Open cavities allow air to travel horizontally between the attic spaces, making the home uncomfortable and inefficient. Seal the open cavities in the floor framing and insulate attic spaces.
Dense-packed cellulose or closed-cell foam insulation can be sprayed into exterior walls. Skilled contractors can remove pieces of siding and drill holes to fill the wall cavities from the outside of the home. For brick or stone homes, holes can be drilled from the inside and then patched and painted. Insulating walls from the inside of the home requires more time and effort in preparation and cleanup, but having well-insulated walls is worth it.
Knob and tube wiring — commonly used form the early 1880s to the 1930s with no grounding wire — should be replaced prior to insulating walls and attics for safety purposes. Contact between insulation and knob and tube wiring can create a fire hazard.
People often think new windows are the best way to improve a home’s efficiency. Considering the cost of replacing windows, I recommend investing in air sealing and insulation first. Then consider storm windows to keep the charm of the original windows, such as leaded glass and stained-glass windows in good condition. Choose from interior or exterior options that are operable and inoperable.
Once you’ve addressed the envelope of your home, consider appliance improvements. Replace your old electric water heater with a heat pump water heater. According to Energy Star, this upgrade can save a family of four an estimated $550 per year and more than $5,600 over the lifetime of the water heater.
Invest in high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment. A mini-split heat pump, also known as a ductless heat pump, is a more efficient option than electric baseboard heating and provides the benefit of air conditioning.
Older homes don’t have to be inefficient. Show your home some love and invest in energy-efficient upgrade.
Miranda Boutelle writes on energy efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Prioritize the invisible upgrades that make your home more comfortable and efficient, such as adding blown-in insulation to your attic.