Do you struggle to keep your home warm or cool? Does your furnace and air conditioner seem to run non-stop? Your home is probably not insulated well-enough. As it turns out, a recent study showed that up to 90% of homes don’t have sufficient insulation. Yikes!
“If all U.S. homes were fitted with insulation based on the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), residential electricity use nationwide would drop by about 5 percent and natural gas use by more than 10 percent,” says Jonathan Levy, professor of Environmental Health at Boston University School of Public Health and lead researcher on the Boston University team.¹
Here are the easiest way to address insulation issues:
- Add “blown-in” insulation to your attic. You can rent a blower from Home Depot or Lowes and it should only take a few hours of set up and labor. Oh, and be prepared to truly understand what “sweat equity” is all about with this project. Even in the winter, your attic can get very warm and you’ll want to be wearing protective clothing around insulation, further adding to the heat you’ll experience. By doing this, you’re going to increase your home’s “R-value,” or in layman’s term the energy efficiency. See more info on measuring R-value below.²
- Caulk any openings you see around windows and doors. Air easily flows through these openings.
- Caulk around dryer vents. It’s very common to see daylight around your vent because it generally goes straight outside. Fill those gaps with fireproof rated caulk.
- Do a visual basement assessment. Look around your basement around where the concrete meets the subfloor of the main floor. Do you see any gaps between the floor or light from outside? Fill those gaps with fireproof rated caulk.
- Insulating the Basement. Are you considering finishing your basement? Either hire out insulation pros or do your research! Use the best quality materials. If you plan on spending any time down there, you’re going to want to make sure it’s insulated as well as possible.
- Insulate your garage. You’d be surprised the temperature differences in garages that are insulated vs ones that aren’t. Insulation rolls are relatively cheap. You can just install them and you don’t even have to install drywall over them if installed properly!
- BONUS – This one isn’t cheap, but it will be one of the best upgrades you can do…. Install new energy efficient windows! Check out the Department of Energy’s explanation of window efficiency here.
Given the variability of seasons here in St. Louis, it is advisable to increase your home’s energy efficiency by insulating your home better. Keep in mind that you can also disclose these new efficiencies to prospective home buyers when you go to sell the home. Insulation is also one of those items that Home Inspectors always comment on when they look in the attic. They either say “You need more insulation” or “WOW! This home has great insulation.” Do yourself a favor and be the “WOW!” You’ll be more comfortable while you’re living there!
² There is a measurement of efficiency assigned to insulation. This tells you the insulation’s ability to resist heat traveling through it. The higher the R-Value the better the thermal performance of the insulation.
Lowe’s has a great tool to help you understand what R-level your attic is currently based on the depth of insulation that is in your attic. Check out the tool here.
