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Home > Home Improvement > Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR > Determine the Effort
Choose Your Project:
Determine the Effort Required.
Use the chart below to assess which home improvement projects you will feel comfortable doing yourself, and which you may want to hire a contractor for.
| Doing the Project Yourself* | Hiring a Contractor* | Projects | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Project | Time (days) | Costs | Time (days) | Costs | How-to-Instructions | |
| Attic | Difficult | 1−3 | $$$$$ | 1−2 | $$$$$ | |
| Basement/ Crawlspace | Moderate − Difficult | 1−3 | $$$$$ | 1−2 | $$$$$ | |
| Ducts | Moderate − Difficult | 1−3 | $$$$$ | 1−2 | $$$$$ |
|
| Doors/Windows/Walls | Moderate | 1−2 | $$$$$ | 1 | $$$$$ |
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*Results will vary depending on the age, construction and condition of your home, as well as the contractor estimates.
Key: $ = <$100, $$$$$ = >$2,000
Utility Rebates
Many local utilities may offer rebates for a professional home energy assessment and certain air sealing and insulation projects.
Be sure to contact your utility company before beginning a project to see what incentives are available in your area. You can also check for incentives using the DSIRE database for state incentives. 
Financial Assistance
You may be eligible for financial assistance to make improvements like air sealing and insulating through your state's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).
For more information, visit the following site and select your state of residence: Weatherization Assistance Agency Locator .
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