Home Insulation Tips to Save You Money

High heating bills are something all of us have become accustom to. As the prices of heating gases and oil go up, homeowners pay more and more to keep their homes comfortable. Some of the price increases can be offset by increasing home insulation. Most homeowners can save 25% or more on home heating costs by making a few home improvements!

Older homes typically need a denver insulation upgrade much more frequently than newer builds. It is a mistake, though to assume that your newer home is as well-insulated as possible. Many homes built after 1980 have inferior insulation ratings because building codes are not up-to-date with DOE recommendations. Also, occasionally home-builders do try to save money on little things like insulation to lower build costs.

 

The following are simple and inexpensive steps you can take to lower your heating costs this winter:

Air Circulation and Your Home

Get the air moving! 

The idea of letting hot summer air into your home to help keep it cool sounds crazy, but some parts of your house need to be well ventilated both in summer and winter. Regardless of the outdoor temperature ventilation is key to keeping your home comfortable. During the summer the whole-house fans Denver residence use pull cool, outside air through the entire house and reduce the amount you spend on air conditioning. Ceiling fans also circulate air. They circulate the air within a room and can help to cool that room. These fans work by pulling air up from the floor on hot days and pushing hot air down on cool days.

During extremely hot days in the summer ventilating attic spaces keeps them from overheating and radiating heat into the lower levels of the house. The warm air and heat flowing from an attic can cause your air conditioner to overwork costing you money. Even attic insulation Denver homes may have on the floor of the attic can't withstand hot summer days. Venting the attic space will allow air to circulate out of your roof instead of becoming stuck inside the upper levels of your home.The results of ventilating your attic are dramatic- vents can lower the attic temperature up to 150 degrees.

The whole-house fan Denver home owners can install draw in cool air through open doors and windows and exhaust it through the attic during warm months. Make sure to turn off whole house fans when you close the windows and doors (during summer) because the fan motor will strain to pull air through closed windows and could burn out its motor.

Attic Insulation Mistakes to Avoid

Adding insulation to your home can save you a significant amount of money; however, if the project isn't done correctly, you may end up wasting a whole lot of time. Understanding the installation process and what to avoid, you'll be one step ahead when you begin your project.

Prepare for your project by making sure you have the correct tools for the job. Make sure that you have a ladder of the correct height, sufficient lighting, and a clear workplace. Don't rely on your extraordinary balance skills, lay boards across joists so you can have a stable, safe place to work.

Choose the correct type of attic insulation Denver requires for your project. There are several forms of insulation you can choose from and picking the correct form is vital to the efficiency of your project. Depending on the design and use of your attic space, loose fill may or may not be the best option. Don't choose loose fill insulation if you have a attic fan. Without proper containment the insulation will spread unevenly and will loose its effectiveness.

Measure once and then measure again. Even Denver insulation companies don't estimate when they look at a workspace. Guessing how much insulation you need to complete a project is a common shortcut that will often leave you with a lack of material costing you time and money. Use a tape measure to get the correct dimensions of your attic and purchase the correct amount of insulation.

Insulating An Unfinished Attic

 Insulating a home's attic is one of the most important insulation projects you can do for your home. Once you have determined you're region's R-value requirements, measure your existing insulation (if present) and subtract that from the required amount. You can add new insulation to your existing insulation and do not need to match insulation types to do so.

To begin your insulation project, first set up a safe working area across the joists. Never step between the joists, or you risk falling through. Measure the thickness of the existing insulation at various places throughout the attic and average those numbers. Multiply the average by the R-value per inch of insulation.

Batt and Blanket Insulation

When installing insulation on a uninsulated attic, make sure to use an insulation with a vapor-retardant face. Place the facing down (toward the ceiling). In humid climates or in attics that have been previously insulated use unfaced fiberglass. Denver insulation companies suggest using the insulation with a vapor-retardant face. When laying batt or blanket insulation, start at the perimeter and work toward the attic door. Place the insulation between joists and cut the length. Cut the insulation by placing the batt on a piece of plywood and laying a straight edge across it to serve as a guide. Push the insulation down and slice through the batt with multiple strokes of a sharp knife using the straight edge as a guide. For higher R-values you can lay the insulation across the joints.