subject: Tips To Lower Energy Costs With Attic Insulation [print this page] Heating and cooling costs amount to 60% of monthly energy costs for the typical household. Controlling the temperature in a home is an expensive task that adds up over the months and years. Any costs that can be cut will continue to offer savings that only accumulate and get larger with time. With energy prices steadily climbing, saving on utilities costs is paramount now and in the future.
The biggest culprit when it comes to heat loss into or out of a home is through the attic and roof. During the summer months, the sun's ray beat down on a roof, pouring heat into the attic and through the home. In the winter, hot air rises into the attic and dissipates out of the home. The best way to stop this heat movement is with attic insulation, which nearly every home has. However, not every home has enough; effective Houston attic insulation requires two layers to protect against the weather.
Add Additional Insulation
Many homes are built with a standard layer of insulation in the attic, but adding more -- or better quality insulation, will further decrease energy costs. When it comes to insulation, there can never be too much of a good thing.
Typical installations of insulation sheets placed in between the floorboards the attic don't offer the maximum protection against weather changes. There can be as much as a fifty degree difference between the air temperature in the attic and in the home. With such a large difference, heat will rush into the home from the attic or rise and leave the house in the winter. Standard insulation layers have difficulty keeping up with the demand.
Add Quality Radiant Barrier
The easiest solution is to layer more insulation on top of what already exists, but that isn't practical. Building mounds of attic insulation will quickly cut down on the available space in an attic if it is used for storage. When the layers become too thick, moisture problems can become a major hazard as the excess material can act like a giant sponge. And what if the attic is finished? In that case, an entire renovation project would be needed to tear down walls.
The answer to adding attic insulation quickly and easily is a radiant barrier. A radiant barrier works by reflecting heat away. In the summer, this means the suns hot rays will be directed away from the house. In the winter, the rising heat will be reflected back into the home.
The radiant barrier is a coating that is applied to the underside of the ceiling, just like a coat of paint. There is no need to tear up old insulation or remove flooring and walls. Even in a finished attic, the procedure is as simple as painting and is minimally intrusive. These coating barriers can decrease utility bills by up to 30% in addition to existing insulation.
When it comes to cutting costs, saving on utilities bills is the perfect way to keep monthly expenses down. By adding a convenient radiant barrier to existing attic insulation, the savings over time will more than pay for the installation. It is a win-win solution to saving money and energy.
