Insulation 101: Home Energy Makeover
Insulation 101: Home Energy Makeover
Annually, the average homeowner spends $2,234 on electricity, water, and gas. While there are extreme solutions to improving your home efficiency, there are also simple improvements one can make to reduce monthly expenses.
Not only are you adding long-term value to your home, but you will start saving immediately!
Insulation
If your house is prone to frequent temperature swings or some room walls are cold to the touch, these are indicators that there is not enough insulation in your home, or none at all. Depending on what insulation type you use- fiberglass, cellulose, or spray foam-insulating your basement walls and attic are the most cost-effective places to start.
For example, you could top up the attic insulation from R-20 to R-50 by blowing loose-fill insulation on top of the pre-existing insulation.This simple upgrade could save the homeowner up to $200 yearly.
When compared to basement exterior walls that are normally insulated with R-10/R-16 insulation, upgrading these R-values can also save the homeowner approximately $150 yearly.
However, before you insulate ANYTHING, you must make sure air sealing is done first, to prevent any air leakages.
Air Sealing
Plugging air leaks alone can save the average homeowner up to 40% of their heating and cooling costs. These small air pockets can be found around the foundation of the house, windows, attic, wall sockets, and baseboards. Yes, these air pockets are small; however, they do add up when they are found over the entire house.
According to research, the air inside an average home will change every 10 hours. This means that new air comes in from outside that needs to be heated or cooled. Lowering this number will dramatically increase your energy savings.
How do you seal these leaks? Caulking or weatherstripping should do the trick!
By bringing your attention to all the air leakages within your home, you can save up to 2.9% on your energy bills.
Windows
Windows are more expensive to replace when compared to heating and cooling costs; however, if it’s time to replace your windows because they’re losing a lot of their insulating value, it’s definitely worth spending the money.
In addition to windows, thermal blinds are another way to enhance the insulation. These blinds act like a blanket against your window, reducing heat loss up to 40%!
Whatever way you choose to go, ensure that the windows are air-sealed and installed properly.
Furnace
If you’ve had your furnace for more than 12 years, it’s definitely time for a new one! When comparing older furnaces with furnaces manufactured today, the efficiency difference is surreal.
Older furnaces operate at only 60% efficiency. This translates into 40 cents of air leaving your house for every dollar you spend. By upgrading your furnace, your savings easily start at $500 yearly!
Side Note: Change your furnace filter every 3 months to keep the air quality clean and to ensure that your furnace isn’t overworking itself.
What will you start upgrading today?
Check out our portfolio to see some examples of cellulose, fiberglass, and spray foam insulation projects completed for our past clients!
