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Insulations Options for your Attic


Adding insulation in your attic can drastically help reduce your heating and cooling bills each month. The attic is a perfect place for hot and cold air to leak in and out. With proper insulation, your attic can provide you with an energy efficient home. There are many options for insulating your attic.

Insulating your attic is the number one way to help improve your heating and cooling bills and help make your home more energy efficient. When properly installed, attic insulation can decrease your energy bill by about twenty percent or more per month. In addition, there are many different types of material that can be used for insulating your attic. In most cases, you do not even have to hire a professional to install. The homeowner can do most attic improvements.

When looking at the type of insulation you will want to install in your attic, think about the R-value. The R-value of insulation is the insulations ability to resist heat flow. The higher the R-value, the more effective it will be to insulate. Insulations materials can vary in thickness. Some insulation averages R-3 while others are as high as R-8 per inch. It is important to remember that over time, any insulation will loose some of its ability to insulate and will reduce in R-value.

There are many reasons to consider replacing or improving attic insulation. For those who have little or no insulation, or who have very old insulation, replacing insulation has benefits. Also, you should consider insulation if you have high energy bills or if you attic or walls have been exposed during remodeling.

Before replacing or adding insulation to your attic you should determine whether or not you have moisture problems. Problems with moisture can become worse with adding insulation. Insulation can trap moisture causing mildew and mold to grow and spread. In addition, when water and moisture collect in the attic, it can cause stains and rot. Before putting in any insulation, it is best to seal all air leaks. This not only helps moisture, but also reduces heating bills by keeping cold air from entering the home.

There are many kinds of insulation that can be added to your attic. Insulation sheets and bats are easy to install. If you have an open attic space, some insulation sheets some may not be easy to install if the joists are not spaced evenly. Also, by applying a second layer of insulation blankets crosswise over the first layer can help seal cracks. This will help reduce heat loss. This can also prevent moisture problems.

Another type of insulation that is good for the attic is loose fill insulation. This is perfect for filling irregular shaped spaces. It also can have more complete coverage than bats. When installing loose fill insulation, it can be blown from a machine or hand poured and bought in a bag. If you like do-it-yourself projects, you can rent machines that will blow the insulation at rental stores. Caution should be used when using a machine to blow in insulation. The settings must be carefully set so that not too much insulation is used. If the insulation is too thick, it can cause settling and may not properly insulate the attic.

There are commonly used types of insulation that can be good options for using in attic spaces. Cellulose insulation is made from ground wood or paper. This type of insulation is often used in attics and usually has additives to prevent mold and resistance to fire. Fiberglass insulation is made of molten glass strands. This type is also fire resistant. Wood shavings used to be commonly used, but are not used much any more, especially in attics. Insulation made of wood shavings can be too heavy for the inside of attics and can promote fungal growth.

When working with insulation in your attic, extreme caution should be used. You should always protect your hands and eyes when applying insulation. Many types of insulation can irritate that eyes, nose and throat. It is always recommended to wear protective gear when using insulation in any part of you home. Adding or replacing insulation in your attic can be a good way to help lower your heating and cooling bill. Professionals can be hired to apply the insulation or many choose to do it themselves.

Previous to 1990 if you did not qualify for a FHA or VA home mortgage it was very difficult to get a mortgage.

Ten Tips to Conserve Energy in Your Home


Winter time heating costs continue to rise every year. Natural disasters and the war in Iraq inflate the prices of home heating expenses, for electric, gas and oil furnaces. Be aware that there are steps that you can take to lower your bills and put a little cash back for other things, or just to brace for the next rise in energy costs for your home.

Look over these 10 tips and see what you can do to lower your bills by conserving energy in your home.

1. Insulate Windows. Go though your house and check your windows. Make sure theyre well sealed. A good test is to do a smoke test. Turn off all fans and your furnace, stand close to a window and produce smoke. If theres a minute leak of interior home air to the outside the smoke will move in the direction toward the window. Kits can be bought at your local hardware or home improvement store for insulation.
2. Buy a Ceiling Fan. Because warm air rises youll want to get the warmer air down low by buying a ceiling fan. Reversible switches come on most all models and can be used in summer time too. The relative cost of the ceiling fan and its usage costs are quickly made up in savings.
3. Shut Doors. If a room is not being used then shut the door and leave it closed. This is really useful if youre not using the room on a long term basis. Rooms that are used some of the time will have the door fanned and cold air will escape into the others rooms. Of course this will cause your furnace to work harder, and drive cost for heating up too.
4. Shut Curtains and Mini Blinds. If a wintry day is sunny or even if there is minimal sun, make sure you open them during the daylight hours, and shut them when dusk approaches. The warmth from the suns rays will help warm the house, and keep it tapped for the night time. Re-open them when the sun is up the next morning.
5. Weather Proof Doors and Caulk Windows. Draft doggies arent necessary around doors if they have been weather stripped. Look around the bottoms of doors, and if air is streaming in then weather proof it. Check windows too because wear and the age of windows can let in cold air too. Caulk and seal windows, and if interior of seal is damaged replace it with the correct seal type.
6. Realign Doors. Doors just like windows can with use over time begin to sag from their original tight fitting position. Before winter sets in go around and really look at how your door closes. Adjust them for a nice fitting.
7. Check Furnace. Hire a contractor in HVAC, heating, air venting and air conditioning, to give your furnace a once over to check for any inefficient or heating or cooling safety issues. A poorly running system can cost more dollars from you pocket, and safety issues are a priority for a home owners peace of mind too.
8. Replace the Air Filter. You can eliminate unnecessary high cost bills by conserving energy by simply changing out a clogged air filter. Not only does it cause your system to run slowly, but the danger is it can get into the motor and cause a fire, or just burn up the motor itself.
9. Close House Vents. Right before the season of fall go around your house and shut up the vents that allow circulation of air during the summer time. In the winter the goal is to keep all cold air out. Cold air under the floor boards infiltrate the house and drive up heating cost.
10. Check Roof Top Insulation. If its been a few years since youve checked out the insulation in your attic then go up and look around. Insulation should have enough air pockets to trap the cold air and push it back from the interior of the house. Old rotten insulation is usually brittle and flat. Replace the insulation with new and youll see evidence of your energy conservation in your heating costs.

By implementing just a few of these tips you will see results happen. There are a lot more that you can do too. Go online and read other different ways to conserve energy. Talk with your local energy provider to see if there are tips for your area that will help lower your bills, and drive down costs for everyone. In the end you wont regret that youve used the tips at all.