Attic Insulation may not seem like a big deal, but it can have a significant impact on your power bill. Different factors contribute to the effect attic insulation has on your home’s energy efficiency.
1. Heat Rises (Winter)
During cold winters, we spend big bucks trying to keep our houses a comfortable temperature. But heat rises, and very few homes are designed to be airtight. That means that a significant amount of the hot air you blow into your home is going up and seeping into your unprotected attic. There, it cools from the uninsulated environment, and falls back downstairs, forcing more hot air up. It’s a vicious cycle that leeches the heat from your house. Some estimates say that 25% of energy is lost through this process. [1]
2. Heat Rises (Summer)
Not only is lacking attic insulation bad during the winter, attic insulation also plays a key role during the summer. Attics can get unbearably hot during the summer months, even reaching as high as 150 degrees. [2] This heat warms the entire structure of your house, which is why your ceilings often feel so warm. The heat from the attic, now being pumped into the home, makes your air conditioner work harder to cool your house, increasing your energy bill and increasing wear on your air conditioner. It’s even worse if your conditioned air is pumped through your attic, as all that heat saps the cool air from the ducts. This could lead to heat blowing from your vents. [2]
When attics are used for storage, another major side effect of a poorly insulated attic is that your things can be damaged. The hot, dank environment of the attic is a veritable paradise for spores, molds, and other unwanted things. [3] You could quickly end up with mold and various other things consuming your wood, and with mold covering the insulation you do have. If you are storing images up there, like many people make the mistake of doing, then you are ruining them. Photographs stored in the temperatures of a hot attic quickly get heat damage, possibly destroying their sentimental value and deleting memories. You can easily stop this with attic insulation and proper ventilation.
3. Heat Radiates
Having a hot attic and little insulation between it and you means that, on a hot day, your top floor’s ceiling becomes a boiler plate. The problem is that building materials like wood soak up heat readily, and then radiate it back. With no insulation to keep your ceiling’s timbers from heating up, they will get nice and toasty. That heat will, in turn, radiate down into your home, countering much of your cooling effort and further wasting money.
Considering that attic insulation is relatively inexpensive, there’s little money to be lost and lots to be gained from insulating your attic.
Sources:
1. http://www.britishinformation.com/articles/insulating-your-home/
2. http://www.usinspect.com/resources-for-you/house-facts/basic-components-and-systems-home/attics/summer-heat-build
3. http://www.checkthishouse.com/549/do-you-know-why-is-mold-growing-in-your-attic.html
