As the nation continues to shift toward clean, renewable power sources, fossil fuels still reign supreme. Improving your property’s energy efficiency reduces your consumption, lowering your carbon footprint while keeping more money in your wallet.
An excellent way to do so is by tackling the following eight DIY home insulation projects to prevent energy loss this fall. Here’s what to add to your to-do list.
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The Magic of Insulation: Stats Homeowners Should Know
The built environment accounts for 40% of global energy use. Insulating your home may not seem like a Herculean effort, but it can significantly impact overall sustainability. According to recent data, proper insulation can reduce carbon emissions by 7.5 billion tons. The government isn’t going to make these upgrades for you, although tax incentives may cover much of the cost if you’re savvy.
Fortunately, you reap immediate benefits from upgrading your insulation beyond the long-term perks of mitigating climate change. Insulating attics, floors, crawlspaces and basement rim joists can reduce heating and cooling costs by 20%, especially during the winter and summer. You also improve your family’s comfort. Your home should be your refuge, but shivering near drafty windows or sweltering near sunny ones detracts from the sensory joy you should feel when there.
8 DIY Home Insulation Projects to Prevent Energy Loss and Improve Efficiency
Tackling any of these DIY home insulation projects will improve your energy efficiency and save money on your bills. Additionally, keep your receipts for tax time and allocate a greater percentage of your pay for sustainability instead of sending it to Uncle Sam.
1. Start at the Top
You already know that insulating your attic can save you a bundle. Here are several tips to make your application as efficient as possible for maximum energy savings:
- Check the access door: Is it insulated on the top side? Does it have weatherstripping?
- Check all pipes, ducts and extrusions: Is there expanding foam or caulking around all areas? Use a caulk gun to seal cracks smaller than 3 inches and expanding foam for larger openings. Pay extra attention to vents, soil stacks and the chimney.
- Keep insulation away from heat sources: Replace light fixtures or apply protection to prevent them from touching insulated surfaces.
- Install vent chutes: Add these to rafters in the section where the roof meets the attic joists, keeping the passive ventilation in the space clear.
You can use blown-in insulation or fiberglass batts. Hemp, cork and mineral wool are natural, sustainable material choices.
2. Sit by the Window
If you feel a cold draft when you sit by certain windows, you have an energy leak. You can sometimes address the problem with little more than a $20 tube of caulk and the right application techniques. Practice drawing a straight bead on a piece of foil or cardboard until you feel confident in your skills, and keep a putty knife handy to catch drips.
Other times, the problem might lie in the windows themselves. Although single-pane windows are less expensive, dual panes offer far superior insulating power. If you can’t afford a replacement, insulating window films can still improve your energy efficiency for a fraction of the cost. Many versions increase privacy and cut the UV light that fades your furnishings and flooring. Additionally, curtains can insulate at night and tie back for passive solar heating in the daytime.
3. Consider Ingress and Egress
Your doors are your next order of business. You shouldn’t be able to see daylight through the cracks. If you can, it’s time for weatherstripping. Fortunately, you can find it at most hardware stores, and is as easy to apply as a thick, fluffy sticker.
Don’t overlook your garage. Insulating this space can make a huge difference in your home’s comfort and energy efficiency every time you carry in groceries in the winter. Weatherstrip the door from your home to the garage and invest in a rubber bottom sealer for your garage door. If your insulation budget is low, consider using tarps or work blankets instead. Hang them on walls and ceilings to maintain an even interior temperature.
4. Get on the Floor
Insulating your floor is easier before construction begins. However, there are things homeowners can do. For example, concrete basement floors with nothing between them and the ground benefit from rubber flooring that serves as a barrier. If you can get under your floor, such as in a room that sits above your garage, using a roll-type insulation like wool from below does the trick.
When replacing your flooring, apply insulation between your subfloor and the new material. Many people use underlayments such as foam, cork, rubber or sponge.
5. Locate Leaks
Tackling the areas above should insulate your home well. Other leaks are rare but can still affect your efficiency. Fortunately, you can test for these on a calm day using the smoke or candle method described here:
- Turn off all appliances, including your HVAC system and fans. Close windows and doors.
- Light an incense stick or a candle. Move to suspected leak spots and pay attention to the smoke or flame. Smoke may move unsteadily or seem to suck in one direction, or the candle may flicker.
You can also invest in an ultrasonic air leak detector. While these offer superior accuracy, they can cost several hundred dollars — perhaps you could split the cost with several other DIY-minded neighbors.
6. Smarten Up
Although not insulation per se, smart appliances can go far in improving your home’s energy efficiency. They also accommodate human error. Did you forget to lower the thermostat before leaving for work? A programmable model does it for you, and smart versions let you adjust that dial from your desk across town.
Additionally, today’s smart appliances come with energy-saving technology built in. For example, smart dryers detect how damp your clothes are and adjust time requirements automatically. Make sustainability one of the key features you seek when it’s time to upgrade.
7. Blow It Out
A well-insulated attic moderates indoor temperatures, but heat levels can still rise precipitously in the hot summer months, stressing your HVAC system and raising your cooling bill. Although attic fans draw power, they can still improve your overall energy efficiency and cut costs. Additionally, you can find solar-powered versions today that don’t increase your energy use at all — they only cool down your home’s highest points.
8. Maintain Your Chimney
You could be leaking heat through your roof if you fail to close the damper on your fireplace when not in use. Work out a system for reminding yourself to open it again the next time you spark a blaze, perhaps adding a note to your woodpile. Each year, you should check the seals around the flue damper. Installing tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system also blows warm air back inside.
Additionally, insulating your chimney increases energy efficiency while preventing creosote buildup. You might consider plugging and sealing the flue if you don’t use your fireplace at all, keeping in mind how doing so may affect the resale value of your home.
Prevent Energy Loss With DIY Home Insulation
Transitioning to clean energy takes time, meaning fossil fuel use will continue for the foreseeable future. However, you can decrease your carbon footprint with these DIY home insulation tips. Improving your home’s energy efficiency reduces oil and coal consumption while keeping more money in your wallet and increasing your family’s comfort.