Tips for a Better Insulated House

Insulation in your home is one of the most important features. It prevents the outdoors weather from coming in and the indoors weather from going out. If your insulation isn’t up to par, you may be spending too much money on heating your home in the winter and cooling it in the summer. To prevent this loss you can spend a little money now and add little extra insulation. This job can be done by a professional but most homeowners can do it themselves with a little sweat and a few dollars.

However insulation is installed it should fill the space snugly between studs or joists. Unfilled gaps become channels for airflow and draw cool air in during heating and warm air in when cooling your home. Fill any gaps between by stuffing loose insulation into small spots. The usual places for the channels are in the attic above walls. Each side of a wall has dead wood that has small gaps between the walls and the deadwood. These gaps are commonly unfilled.

Another area in the attic that is conducive of heat loss is in the garage. The area between the garage and attic should have a barrier of insulation between it. The garage is unheated or un-cooled and transfer of air between these places is common in older homes. Start by using R-13 or greater Batt along the area where the garage meets the house. Staple to the roof trusses and joists in the attic.

In unfinished basements, cool air comes through the block or concrete walls easily. Start by using rigid foam insulation and attaching it to the walls with furring strips and cut nails. Attach every 16 inches and overlap seams with furring strips. Any seams that aren’t covered by furring strips should be sealed using silver tape. You should also add a vapor barrier between the basement and upper floor. Take plastic vapor barrier and attach the floor joists with a staple gun, stapling every 6 inches to hold the plastic to the ceiling tightly.

Wrap any exposed pipes in the basement with insulated foam wrap for pipes. Heat loss and gain are very common in exposed plumbing. Your water heater has to work much harder to heat the water if left in the cold. The same is true in the summer when your air conditioner has to work harder to cool the home from heat loss from uncovered pipes.

Don’t fill in any insulation around flammable areas. Fireplaces should be left un-insulated. All lighting fixtures that expose themselves through the attic should be left uncovered. These areas can ignite insulation even if the insulation is fire proof.