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Energy Saving Tips
Energy Saving Tips Insulation and Sealing Air Leaks
Checking
your home's insulation is one of the fastest and most
cost-efficient ways to use a wholehouse approach to
reduce energy waste and make the most of your energy
dollars. A good insulating system includes a combination
of products and construction techniques that protect a
home from outside temperatures—hot and cold, protect it
against air leaks, and control moisture. You can
increase the comfort of your home while reducing your
heating and cooling needs by up to 10% by investing in
proper insulation and sealing air leaks.
Should I
Insulate My Home?
The answer
is probably "yes" if you:
Have an
older home and haven't added insulation. Only 20% of
homes built before 1980 are well insulated.
Are
uncomfortably cold in the winter or hot in the
summer—adding insulation creates a more uniform
temperature and increases comfort.
Build a
new home, addition, or install new siding or
roofing.
Pay high
energy bills.
Are
bothered by noise from outside—insulation muffles
sound.
First, check
the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior and
basement walls, floors, and crawl spaces to see if it
meets the levels recommended for your area. Insulation
is measured in R-values—the higher the R-value, the
better your walls and roof will resist the transfer of
heat. DOE recommends ranges of R-values based on local
heating and cooling costs and climate conditions in
different areas of the nation. State and local codes in
some parts of the country may require lower R-values
than the DOE recommendations, which are based on cost
effectiveness. For more customized insulation
recommendations, check out the Zip Code Insulation
Calculator, which lists the most economic insulation
levels for your new or existing home based on your zip
code and other basic information about your home.
Although
insulation can be made from a variety of materials, it
usually comes in four types; each type has different
characteristics.
Rolls and
batts—or blankets—are flexible products made from
mineral fibers, such as fiberglass and rock wool. They
are available in widths suited to standard spacings of
wall studs and attic or floor joists: 2x4 walls can hold
R-13 or R-15 batts; 2x6 walls can have R-19 or R-21
products.
Loose-fill
insulation—usually made of fiberglass, rock wool, or
cellulose—comes in shreds, granules, or nodules. These
small particles should be blown into spaces using
special pneumatic equipment. The blown-in material
conforms readily to building cavities and attics.
Therefore, loose-fill insulation is well suited for
places where it is difficult to install other types of
insulation.
Rigid foam
insulation—foam insulation typically is more expensive
than fiber insulation. But it's very effective in
buildings with space limitations and where higher
R-values are needed. Foam insulation R-values range from
R-4 to R-6.5 per inch of thickness (2.54 cm), which is
up to 2 times greater than most other insulating
materials of the same thickness.
Foam-in-place insulation—can be blown into walls and
reduces air leakage.
Insulation Tips
Consider
factors such as your climate, building design, and
budget when selecting insulation R-values for your
home.
Use
higher density insulation, such as rigid foam
boards, in cathedral ceilings and on exterior walls.
Ventilation plays a large role in providing moisture
control and reducing summer cooling bills. Attic
vents can be installed along the entire ceiling
cavity to help ensure proper airflow from the soffit
to the attic to make a home more comfortable and
energy efficient. Check with a qualified contractor.
Recessed
light fixtures can be a major source of heat loss,
but you need to be careful how close you place
insulation next to a fixture unless it is marked
IC—designed for direct insulation contact. Check
your local building codes for recommendations. See
Lighting for more about recessed cans.
As
specified on the product packaging, follow the
product instructions on installation and wear the
proper protective gear when installing insulation.
$ Long-Term Savings Tip:
One of the most cost-effective ways to make your
home more comfortable year-round is to add
insulation to your attic.
Adding
insulation to the attic is relatively easy and very cost
effective. To find out if you have enough attic
insulation, measure the thickness of the insulation. If
it is less than R-22 (7 inches of fiber glass or rock
wool or 6 inches of cellulose), you could probably
benefit by adding more. Most U.S. homes should have
between R-22 and R-49 insulation in the attic.
If your
attic has enough insulation and your home still feels
drafty and cold in the winter or too warm in the summer,
chances are you need to add insulation to the exterior
walls as well. This is a more expensive measure that
usually requires a contractor, but it may be worth the
cost if you live in a very hot or cold climate.
You may also
need to add insulation to your crawl space. Either the
walls or the floor above the crawl space should be
insulated.
New
Construction
For new
construction or home additions, R-11 to R-28 insulation
is recommended for exterior walls depending on location
(see map below). To meet this recommendation, most homes
and additions constructed with 2 in. x 4 in. walls
require a combination of wall cavity insulation, such as
batts and insulating sheathing or rigid foam boards. If
you live in an area with an insulation recommendation
that is greater than R-20, you may want to consider
building with 2 in. x 6 in. framing instead of 2 in. x 4
in. framing to allow room for thicker wall cavity
insulation—R-19 to R-21.
Today, new
products are on the market that provide both insulation
and structural support and should be considered for new
home construction or additions. Structural insulated
panels, known as SIPS, and masonry products like
insulating concrete forms are among these. Some
homebuilders are even using an old technique borrowed
from the pioneers, building walls using straw bales.
Radiant barriers (in hot climates), reflective
insulation, and foundation insulation should all be
considered for new home construction. Check with your
contractor for more information about these options.
Warm air
leaking into your home during the summer and out of your
home during the winter can waste a lot of your energy
dollars. One of the quickest dollar-saving tasks you can
do is caulk, seal, and weatherstrip all seams, cracks,
and openings to the outside. You can save as much as 10%
on your heating and cooling bill by reducing the air
leaks in your home.
Tips for Sealing Air Leaks
First, test your home
for air tightness. On a windy day, hold a lit
incense stick next to your windows, doors,
electrical boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical
outlets, ceiling fixtures, attic hatches, and other
locations where there is a possible air path to the
outside. If the smoke stream travels horizontally,
you have located an air leak that may need caulking,
sealing, or weatherstripping.
Caulk and
weatherstrip doors and windows that leak air.
Caulk and seal air
leaks where plumbing, ducting, or electrical wiring
penetrates through exterior walls, floors, ceilings,
and soffits over cabinets.
Install rubber
gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on exterior
walls.
Look for dirty spots
in your insulation, which often indicate holes where
air leaks into and out of your house. You can seal
the holes by stapling sheets of plastic over the
holes and caulking the edges of the plastic.
Install storm windows
over single-pane windows or replace them with
doublepane windows. See Windows for more
information.
When the fireplace is
not in use, keep the flue damper tightly closed. A
chimney is designed specifically for smoke to
escape, so until you close it, warm air escapes—24
hours a day!
For new construction,
reduce exterior wall leaks by either installing
house wrap, taping the joints of exterior sheathing,
or comprehensively caulking and sealing the exterior
walls.
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