Ok…so you read last week’s blog and you have plans to upgrade your attic insulation.
That’s great! And, as I said, the attic is often times the easiest to upgrade and offers the most in energy savings.
Next, what about your walls? We lose a lot of heat through our walls – when the warm air inside is moving towards the cooler air outside. We should address our walls too, right?
Unfortunately improving your wall insulation is much more difficult, since there is not an unfinished side, like in the attic. So what are our options here? Well, they are pretty limited. We need to remove either the inside wall material (sheetrock, wood, paneling) or remove the siding on the outside, in order to gain access to the inside of the wall. The other option is to install foam board on the outside walls, and then install new siding over the foam.
So, if you are planning any inside wall renovations, or if you are planning on new siding, then you would have a great opportunity to improve your wall’s insulation, and it’s energy efficiency.
If you are planning on new inside walls, then your energy improvement plan would include the following:
1. remove the old insulation
2. Use spray foam to fill in every hole and penetration.
3. Caulk the gaps where the wall meets the floor and ceiling
4. Install new insulation (R13 for 2x4 walls, R21 for 2x6 walls) – very carefully, tightly fill all of the bays.
5. Install ¾ inch or 1 inch foam board over the walls studs.
6. If you have an older home with 2x4 walls, and you really want to go crazy, extend the depth of the walls studs by 2” (equivalent of 2x6 studs) and then use R21 insulation.
7. Install new sheet rock, and caulk the seams where the sheetrock meets the floor and ceiling.
If this sounds like a lot of work…..it is!! You would only do this if you were already planning to renovate your walls (or if you are as passionate about saving money and helping the Earth as I am…).
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The good news is that the savings would be significant. Your savings for a simple 1000 square foot home could be as much as $300 to $400 per heating season (and that’s not including step 6 above). That’s savings year after year….and you will help the Earth!
The other option is outside siding….if you are planning to install new siding, then install 1 or 2 inches of foam board on the outside walls before installing the new siding (each 1 inch foam board adds R6 insulation value – and it is an infiltration barrier). This creates extra work around the windows and doors, but any quality contractor could handle it. If your contractor says it is not worth it, find another contractor! Your savings for a simple 1000 square foot home could be $200 to $300 per heating season for each 1 inch of foam added. Year after year savings…and you will be helping the Earth!
If you are not planning any inside or outside wall renovations, then the best thing you can do for your walls is stop the air leaks. We discussed this a couple of weeks ago.
Please see my website at www.saveenergyusa.com to learn how an energy efficiency audit can provide an energy profile for your home and find hundreds of dollars in energy savings.
Think energy savings every day!
Energy Saving Tip of the Week: Minimize heating of unoccupied spaces. If the heat is on in the living room area, and you don’t plan to use the bedrooms for a while, close the doors to the bedrooms until you are ready to use those rooms. Yes, they will get a bit colder. But you won’t be wasting heating dollars in the mean time by heating all that unoccupied space. For several hours per day, the savings adds up quickly.
