OMG, what a difference attic insulation has made!

[Dexter]

We bought a house in very rough condition 10 years age, made it "habitable" and have been burning wood for heat ever since (Jotul Firelight Non Cat). This summer, we pulled off the split/rotten lap-siding, put in new windows, and had hard-coat cementatious stucco applied. 'Good thing too, because it's been a very early winter. We noticed much less draghtiness (and great quietness) immediately. We've been down to 14 degrees, and haven't had to build an overnighter yet. But...

We had more insulation blown into the attic last week, quite deep. They estimated it had been about R-20, with areas trampled to less than that. The guys said it's now R-50; I don't know about that, but its deep. I never logged the actual "rate of chill" in the house before or after, but Holy Cow, we feel such a difference. Barring a record breaker, we'll be burning less wood this winter, for sure.

Regards,

Dexter

 

[DAKSY]

If more folks in the colder climates did what you've done,
they'd be able to heat their homes using less energy...
The payback in their heating bills is almost immediate, but most people just don't want to hear it, or they just plain don't get it...
Not sure why they don't understand why it's better to KEEP more heat in the house than it is to PUT more heat in...

 

[chrisasst]

If more folks in the colder climates did what you've done,
they'd be able to heat their homes using less energy...
The payback in their heating bills is almost immediate, but most people just don't want to hear it, or they just plain don't get it...
Not sure why they don't understand why it's better to KEEP more heat in the house than it is to PUT more heat in...

I think most folks, like me, don't have the money to redo everything. I really need to get insulation in all of my walls, but haven't got a clue how to do it with out tearing all the walls off and I certainly don't have the money to redo sheet rock and such. I have to save the money I do have to heat what I can of my house, Or maybe I am the only broke home owner.

 

[madrone]

The thing about insulation is the great return on the investment. You make it back fast, and then you start saving. I put r-21 batts over the vermiculite between the attic joists, and spray foamed and caulked a ton of leaks last year, and really noticed a difference. Not as good a level of insulation as I'd like, but it was what I could afford. Totally worth it.

 

[crazy_dan]

If more folks in the colder climates did what you've done,
they'd be able to heat their homes using less energy...
The payback in their heating bills is almost immediate, but most people just don't want to hear it, or they just plain don't get it...
Not sure why they don't understand why it's better to KEEP more heat in the house than it is to PUT more heat in...

I think most folks, like me, don't have the money to redo everything. I really need to get insulation in all of my walls, but haven't got a clue how to do it with out tearing all the walls off and I certainly don't have the money to redo sheet rock and such. I have to save the money I do have to heat what I can of my house, Or maybe I am the only broke home owner.

+1 there are at least 2 of us broke home owners. I would love to add insulation at that would be great since there is none at this point but it just is not in the cards at this point.

 

[d.n.f.]

Last two homes I have owned have had cathedral ceilings with no attic. Dumbest idea in the world. Very expensive to add insulation. Might consider it when I rip off the shingles in a few years but even then, sheesh.

 

[WoodMann]

Neat, glad it helped! I meant to get to it with the place back in Illinois. We had some good snowfalls and the heat bled thru the roof, started melting the snow adn the gutters wehre encased solid with ice. I also had a cathedral ceiling part in the living area, well all that's behind me now as well as the ever ascending property taxes................

 

[Panhandler]

The thing about insulation is the great return on the investment. You make it back fast, and then you start saving. I put r-21 batts over the vermiculite between the attic joists, and spray foamed and caulked a ton of leaks last year, and really noticed a difference. Not as good a level of insulation as I'd like, but it was what I could afford. Totally worth it.

Not just a good return, but this year there's a 30% tax credit.

 

[Highbeam]

I've been there too. I went from bare floors above a vented crawlspace at R-0, R-5 in the walls, R-11 in the attic, and single pane loose windows to R-19 underfloor, R-5 in the walls (not worth upgrade), R-30 in the attic (blown in FG over the thin FG batts), new fancy double pane windows, and new insulated front door. I cut my wood consumption from 7 cords to just about 4.5 this year and felt much more comfortable. The comfort factor was huge. I still have more to go on the 500 SF converted garage that I just recently added R-10 under the slab and sheetrocked half of vs. the leaky panelling.

Blown in attic insulation is cheap. Like silly cheap and very easy. There is no excuse for not getting that attic taken care of. Floors are a little more labor intensive and windows just cost lots of money.

 

[blujacket]

Just finished insulating my attic Saturday. We had 4-6" of blown in, and added R-30 batts over top. Lowes has the R-30 rolls for $9.37. I used 42 rolls total. I hope to see a good return this winter.