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Insulation is a priority here in Canada where the winter temperatures can reach lower than -30 Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) but for those in warmer climates it can be beneficial as well. Insulation stops heat loss and and reversely can stop heat from getting into your home (great in the warm summer months). Consider how much power you use (and pay for) when you have heat loss in the winter:
- 30-45% heat loss from your attic
- 50% heat loss from exterior walls
- 25-30% heat loss from basement
During Our ecoEnergy Retrofit we insulated the entire house. We expect our heating bills to be much lower than the previous owners. And we feel better knowing we aren’t burning needless natural gas or tapping into the electrical grid simply to heat the great outdoors.
The attic is probably the easiest to upgrade for the cost conscious home owners. Especially if your house is older, the code was different back in the days. Replacing the 20 years old furnace and all the windows were the biggest improvement on heating cost for us. We went from 200$ / month for gas to 91$ / month.
Yes, improved technology will help a ton, and, the attic is the cheapest place to improve. We have a 100 yr old house that has an attic w/ stairs up to it that is totally accessible - but only had 6″ between the 2nd floor ceiling and attic floor. We added 6″ more as per our retrofit recommendations.
It seems the box stores even give you a free rental of a machine if you buy enough blow in insulation.
Thanks for the feedback, once again, Passive Income Earner.
While insulation is very important for achieving lower heating bills, make sure your windows are not cheap contractor versions since they could provide the easiest exit for your heat!
Great point BIT. We have good windows too! (gas filled or something like that)