Attic Insulation Fact Sheet
Whether you live in Bangor, Maine or Austin, Texas, your home will be more comfortable and energy efficient with the right insulation. Insulation helps reduce the cost of heating and cooling your home and helps maintain a more uniform temperature throughout the house.
Here’s how: heat is attracted to cold. In the winter, heat flows out and in the summer, heat flows in. A properly insulated home reduces heat flow, using less energy in the winter and less energy in the summer for cooling. This could mean money in your pocket.
Consider these facts:
• A home with inadequate attic insulation can lose as much as 40 percent of its cool air during the cooling season and 60 percent of its warm air during the heating season.
• The average 10 to 15 year-old home has R-11 to R-15 insulation value but needs R-30. This is about 5 to 6 additional inches of blown-in insulation.
• Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70 percent of the energy used in the average American home. About 20 percent is used for heating water. On the other hand, lighting and appliances and everything else account for only 10 to 30 percent of the energy used in most residences.
• Inadequate insulation and air leakage are the leading causes of energy waste in most homes. Adding insulation saves money and our nation’s limited resources
• Insulation can also act as a sound absorber or barrier, keeping noise levels down.
• The amount of energy you conserve will depend on several factors: weather conditions; the size, shape and construction of your house; the living habits of your family; the type and efficiency of your heating and cooling equipment; and the fuel that you use.
• Once the energy savings have paid for the installation cost, energy conserved is money saved. The annual savings will increase with every utility rate increase.
• Don’t leave a hole in the ceiling. A home’s attic access, such as a pull down stairway, if not properly sealed and insulated, will increase heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer and allows dust to infiltrate in to your home.
• Seal attic air leaks before adding insulation to maximize your energy savings.
Here’s how: heat is attracted to cold. In the winter, heat flows out and in the summer, heat flows in. A properly insulated home reduces heat flow, using less energy in the winter and less energy in the summer for cooling. This could mean money in your pocket.
Consider these facts:
• A home with inadequate attic insulation can lose as much as 40 percent of its cool air during the cooling season and 60 percent of its warm air during the heating season.
• The average 10 to 15 year-old home has R-11 to R-15 insulation value but needs R-30. This is about 5 to 6 additional inches of blown-in insulation.
• Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70 percent of the energy used in the average American home. About 20 percent is used for heating water. On the other hand, lighting and appliances and everything else account for only 10 to 30 percent of the energy used in most residences.
• Inadequate insulation and air leakage are the leading causes of energy waste in most homes. Adding insulation saves money and our nation’s limited resources
• Insulation can also act as a sound absorber or barrier, keeping noise levels down.
• The amount of energy you conserve will depend on several factors: weather conditions; the size, shape and construction of your house; the living habits of your family; the type and efficiency of your heating and cooling equipment; and the fuel that you use.
• Once the energy savings have paid for the installation cost, energy conserved is money saved. The annual savings will increase with every utility rate increase.
• Don’t leave a hole in the ceiling. A home’s attic access, such as a pull down stairway, if not properly sealed and insulated, will increase heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer and allows dust to infiltrate in to your home.
• Seal attic air leaks before adding insulation to maximize your energy savings.