Attic Insulation: 2016’s Best Project to Recoup Expenses
With winter over and summer’s heat still a bit away, now may be the time to join a whole lot of other homeowners and get your home better insulated. Here are some great insights from our guest blogger Kevin Morse.
The results are in, and you may be surprised to learn that attic insulation is the best remodeling project to take on if you want to recoup expenses. Why? Your attic’s insulation plays a big role in the overall temperature of your house. If you’ve ever felt too hot or too cold in your home, then you should check your insulation first and foremost. It’s not too pricey and, moreover, it saves you more money than you might imagine. For instance, if your house maintained a constant, comfortable temperature, then you wouldn’t need those heightened cooling costs of your AC unit.
How do you know if you need more insulation?
There are several ways that you can tell if you need to replace any insulating materials in your home. You can simply look in the attic to see if there is enough insulation; you can also see if it’s old, crumbling or has been compromised from the elements. You can also tell if it needs to be replaced by taking a look at your heating bills. If your heating system is constantly running, your insulating materials may not be doing their job. You can also clearly tell if the materials need to be replaced when your home is not maintaining temperature. For example, if you set your thermostat to 72, but it continues to hover around 70 or drop from where it was, you should consider taking a look at the insulation in your attic and other areas.
Attic Insulation
A good place to start is in your attic. You can choose the loose fill or the batt type. Here are some aspects of both to take into consideration.
Loose fill is material that is shot through a special gun to create a thermal “blanket.” It’s quick but messy. You need the right equipment and requires care around fixtures, piping and venting to avoid problems. Yet, with loose fill, there is less of a need for cutting, and the spots where it can be placed are more versatile since it does not have to be laid down. It may not be a DIY project for most homeowners. You should talk with the pros at your local building supply company. (Editors Note: in the Twin Cities you can search for local insulation companies and here to find a remodeler to help you with the job.)
Batted varieties are easier to work with, but they may be harder to customize. You will need to cut areas out and make a barrier to prevent fire hazards if you have ducts or piping running through your attic.
Batting generally comes rolled up in large tubes with a front and a back. You will be required to measure the amount that you need, bring it home, roll it out and cut out any vents or pipes. Once you have cut the material, you must create a barrier around the pipe. This will prevent the materials from falling against the pipe and the caging around it will keep them far away from the heat of the piping.
Heating Up And Cooling Down
A home that is properly insulated will be able to heat up more quickly and stay warm throughout the winter. The insulation will trap any cold air that may be coming from the attic before it has a chance to move into the living areas, and traps the heat you’re paying good money for to keep it from escaping the home. Attic insulation will also help avoid ice dams. Ice dams occur when warm air gets into the attic and heats up the roof, melting accumulated snow. That’s when problems occur by water creeping into your roofing materials. You can tell if your attic is too warm if you see icicles forming along your eaves.
The same principle applies to your nice cool air conditioned home in the summer or in hotter climates. You spend a lot of money creating a nice cool environment, why let it escape through a hot attic?
Saving Money
A home that doesn’t have enough insulation in the attic may be working harder to heat up or cool down. You may not even know that your heating system is working hard to compensate for the lack of insulating materials in your attic. If you replace the materials or even consider reinforcing them with more materials, you can save yourself a large amount of money.
Kevin Morse works at Franklin Building Supply, a one-stop solution for all the building supply needs. He loves to blog about home décor and DIY and often provides valuable suggestions for home improvement.