Cooperative Living September 2019 - 28

EnergySense | by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen, Contributing Writers
Insulating for Comfort and Energy Savings
D
ear Pat and Brad: We're dreading winter. It feels like every year, no matter what we do, our home still
feels cold and our heating bills go through the roof. We think our home may need more insulation.
Any advice before winter hits? - Grace
Dear Grace: There's a good chance
you are right about the problem. Most
older homes, and many newer ones,
are not properly insulated, and adding
insulation can be a good investment
year-round since it can help keep out
the summer heat as well.
There are many types of insulation,
but I'll focus on the three most
common types in residential buildings:
batt, loose-fill and rigid.
Batt insulation can be made with
several kinds of fibers including
fiberglass and wool. It's cut to fit
between the framing in your ceilings,
walls or floors. Loose-fill insulation is
made with small pellets or particles.
It can be added by hand or blown in
by machine into attic floors or exterior
wall cavities. Rigid insulation comes
in light sheets and is installed against
a solid surface like an exterior wall
or foundation.
All insulation is measured by its
R-value. A higher R-value is more
effective. The amount of R-value you
need depends on your climate and
where the insulation is being added in
your home.
If your heating costs are too high,
there's a good chance the attic is part of
the problem. Finished attics are usually
under-insulated and correcting the
problem can be a challenge. If your
attic is unfinished, solutions will be
simpler and more cost-effective.
You can inspect your unfinished
attic, but be cautious. Loose-fill
insulation in older homes may have
harmful asbestos that you absolutely
do not want to disturb. It's probably
best to just poke your head in enough
to look around, since it's easy to
damage wiring or ducts, or step
through the ceiling.
The attic will likely have loose-fill
insulation or batts on the floor. Look
carefully to see if the insulation is
spread evenly with no gaps or voids.
To determine whether there is enough
insulation, you can start by researching
the recommended amount for your
Loose-fill insulation is a good
approach for insulating
your attic floor.
climate. The Department of Energy
publishes that information, which
you can find on its website. After
measuring the depth of the insulation,
you can calculate the R-value. Different
types of insulation have different Rvalues
per inch. If your attic insulation
is far short of the recommended levels,
you will likely see major energy savings
by having a professional add enough
to reach that level.
The next place to check is the walls.
Many homes built before 1980 have
little or no wall insulation, and even
newer homes may lack proper
insulation. You might be able to see
if the walls are insulated by carefully
removing an outlet cover.
The most common technique for
adding insulation to walls is to have
it blown in through holes drilled from
inside or outside the home. These
holes can be easily patched. An
alternative, if the house is being resided,
is to add rigid insulation to the
exterior, underneath the new siding.
It's a good idea to seal air leaks
before you add more insulation.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
26 | Cooperative Living | September 2019
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