Attic Insulation Heat Savings

Now that you ve air sealed your attic and basement check your attic insulation levels and add more if necessary.

Attic insulation heat savings. Blowing attic insulation isn t hard but it s dusty sweaty work. Bulky materials resist conductive and to a lesser degree convective heat flow in a building cavity. The structural elements are usually exposed in these areas which makes it easy to see what type of insulation you have and to measure its depth or thickness inches. Insulation savings calculator use this insulation savings calculator to measure the financial impact of increasing your insulation performance.

Despite this it s easy to overlook the benefits of proper attic ventilation radiant barriers and energy efficient insulation. The attic is the easiest place to add insulation to improve your comfort and the energy efficiency of your home. Square feet of house or area to be insulated current and desired r value for insulation and type and cost of your energy. Insulating your attic could reduce your total heating costs by as much as 417 for gas or 1 152 for oil.

It s a diy project you can tackle in a weekend and the savings you ll get add up every year says toh general contractor tom silva. But saving 1 000 or more with blown in ceiling insulation will make up. Insulation materials run the gamut from bulky fiber materials such as fiberglass rock and slag wool cellulose and natural fibers to rigid foam boards to sleek foils. By the end of the weekend you re going to be sore and tired.

To make insulating an attic easier grab a helper and set aside two days. One for attic prep and the second to actually blow the insulation. Rigid foam boards trap air or another gas to resist conductive heat flow. Improving the energy efficiency of your attic helps maintain a comfortable temperature in your home while saving you money on heating and cooling costs.

Check the attic walls and floors adjacent to an unheated space like a garage or basement. The higher the r value the better the heat resistance of the insulation and the more likely you ll achieve the attic insulation savings you want. Epa estimates that homeowners can save an average of 15 on heating and cooling costs or an average of 11 on total energy costs by air sealing their homes and adding insulation in attics floors over crawl spaces and accessible basement rim joists. But if you ve got an unfinished attic giving it proper insulation is one of the simplest ways to keep a lid on your heating bill this season.

Energy gov provides some suggestions for how to discover the r value of your existing insulation. The savings from adding insulation to your attic will vary greatly.