| A Homesteading Community And Journal |
| Reduce Energy Costs in Your Home: Insulate Your Attic By Daniel Yordy We do not insulate our buildings nearly enough. The costs savings in your electric and heating bill from a well-insulated house over a period of time are really quite significant. Whatever the energy costs of making and installing insulation, the energy savings are substantially larger. Almost all homes are being built without adequate insulation. It makes no difference whether you live in the cold north or the hot south. Air conditioning in a hot summer costs as much as heating in a cold winter. The problem for most homeowners is that, unless you are remodeling, it is difficult to add insulation to the walls. However, most people can add insulation into their attics. That is good news, because increasing the level of insulation in your attic will substantially reduce your energy bill. The summer air-conditioning bill for the house I purchased a few years ago in Houston, Texas, was running around $400 a month. I added insulation to the attic at a cost of around $900. I did the labor myself. It was a hot and nasty job, but I love the results. My highest summer bill is now $220. And in what is called winter in Houston, it is only the low 40’s (F) that causes us to feel the need to turn on any heat. Even if we had saved only $50 a month, adding insulation to the attic would have paid for itself in a year and a half. Three years, if we had hired it done. From then on, it’s money that stays in my pocket. But we save more than that, not even considering our increased comfort. So, if your attic is accessible, find an insulation contractor to estimate what it would cost to blow several inches of more insulation into your attic. They have a machine that blows loose insulation in through a large hose. It’s rather a simple job, really, though hot and nasty. Get the best price you can, but ultimately, the cost of the job will be meaningless when you see the drop in your electric bill through the hot months of summer – or conversely the drop in your heating bill in winter. That is not all you can and should do just in your attic to reduce the energy costs of your home. Consider also an aluminum reflector stapled under your rafters and an attic fan for the hot summer months. If everyone with an attic added insulation, what a drop in energy usage this world would see! To learn more about building and maintaining a healthy, cost-effective, and homey home, including more information on insulating your attic come back for future updates. Also, check out our newsletter, The Healthy Home, for the tips you need to make your house worth calling home. |
