Benefits of air sealing and insulation

As I am in the middle of my series on green refurbishment of domestic residences for the Sheffield Star online green pages I have been keeping an eye out for relevant posts on my favorite blogs.

I've emphasized the importance of air sealing your house in these posts,

Post #7 Keep the cold out and the warmth in
and

Post #8 It's Cold Outside

I've started discussing insulation in this post,

Post #9 Insulation basics

Barry Katz over at "The Future is Green" blog has put up an excellent post on these topics and specifically covers payback periods on these simple, inexpensive, DIY technologies.
Here's an excerpt,

"Air-sealing and insulation can pay for themselves in as little as two years, and continue to pay dividends in the form of lower fuel bills.

Another advantage of upgrading our aging housing stock is that unlike the vast tracts of suburban sprawl that characterize new residential construction, older homes are often located in compact, walkable communities.

Revitalizing such neighborhoods strengthens a pattern of development that is far less dependent on the automobile and is therefore more sustainable." - Barry Katz