Most homeowners overlook their largest energy thief – attic insulation. While the insulation isn’t actually stealing the energy, lack of proper installation definitely is. Installation defects occur regularly and cost homeowners a lot of money. Insulation makes up for 70% of your home’s heat gain and loss.
By having your insulation inspected and installed by a professional, you can turn this energy thief into an energy saver.
- Blown-In Insulation: Two issues regularly occur with blown-in insulation: An inadequate amount of insulation is blown and rooms are completely missed with no insulation at all. Inspectors routinely find attics with less than half of the insulation required for recommended energy efficiency.
- Fiberglass Batt Insulation: Gaps due to misaligned batts are common. If batts are not snug to each other and the sheet rock below, an airtight barrier is not possible. Another installation error with batts occurs when ceilings are different heights and there isn’t a smooth transition. If the batts are laid over wires, pipes or other protrusions instead of against drywall, they could eventually collapse and create breached areas.
- Gaps and Air Leaks: Plumbing pipes, recessed light fixtures, HVAC vents, etc. all have gaps around them where conditioned or heated air can escape. Not sealing these gaps before installing insulation will make your insulation less effective.
Related Read: Insulation Installation – The Devil Is in the Details
- Architecture: Knee walls, dropped soffits, open chases and skylight wells are all examples of difficult construction details to insulate. Uncommon eve or soffit vents also cause energy loss due to lightweight blown insulation scattering from the wind.
- Attic Walkways and Hatches: Many attics have paths to access both ends of the room. There often is a gap between the pathway and sheet rock because the installer didn’t properly insulate beneath it. Another commonly forgotten area is the attic access door. Usually plywood or drywall, it is often missed in the installation. A properly insulated attic access door should have insulation attached directly to it.
Related Read: Why We Batten Down the (Attic) Hatches
- Disturbed Insulation: Whenever a technician enters your attic, the chances of your insulation being disrupted multiplies. They might move insulation to reach wires or pipes and don’t always take the time to replace it.
