Adding Insulation To Your Home
Winters Here ~ Add Insulation!
Finding the source of where your structure is not efficient on energy use is the first step in cutting energy costs.
The following represents the average breakdown of where energy usage and its “energy waste” come from: Adding insulation to your home is one way to achieve this.
35% Appliance Gains
26% Window Solar Gains
22% Attic & Duct Gains
10% Infiltration
7% Walls
As you can see a large amount goes through the roof. Adding insulation to your home will cut down on that 22% Attic & Duct as well as the 7% walls and the 10% infiltration.
Attic Insulation Gives Biggest Reuslt
To get the biggest savings, the easiest place to add insulation is usually in the attic. A quick way to see if you need more insulation is to look across your uncovered attic floor. If your insulation is level with or below the attic floor joists, you probably need to add more insulation. The recommended insulation level for most attics is R-38 (or about 12–15 inches, depending on the insulation type). In the coldest climates, insulating up to R-49 is recommended.
Use Good Quality Insulation
If your adding to existing insulation, I recommend using a good quality High Density insulation in the attic and walls. Look for the R-value – The higher the R-value, the better the insulating value.
With the cost of crude oil and electricity rising, it is an important factor in controlling your monthly expenses for your home.
Sealing air leaks in the attic is probably the most important thing you can do to ensure that your insulation is “insulating” and not leaking.
Learn more about sealing air leaks in my previous posts ~ HERE and HERE.
