Chances are, if your home is more than a few years old, you are well below current insulation standards for your local building codes. And while you are not violating any laws or building codes, you are spending more than you should on heating and cooling costs. You have to remember that years ago, electricity (and heating fuels) cost a lot less than they do now. Back then, most homebuilders did not put a lot of thought into the future costs of heating and cooling...but you can add more insulation now and save money for years to come.

   What is surprising is the amount of homes that we see on a regular basis, that are less than 10 to 15 years old, that still offer the homeowner little in the way of energy efficiency. The main reasons for this are (primarily) the type of material used for insulation in those homes, and how those materials were installed.

 

By far, the most common type of insulation found in homes is fiberglass. It is usually blown in, but sometimes is installed in rolls (batting). While it is the most common, fiberglass is NOT a very efficient material. This is because it has certain qualities that actually hurt its performance as a thermal insulator. In the top picture, you can see how the loose fiberglass has actually "settled down" to less than four inches. This happens because of a very common problem with loose-fill fiberglass: when it is 'blown' into the attic, it is very 'fluffed' up...more so than it should be. In time, the air escapes and the material settles down and begins to loose it's effectiveness. In the lower picture, the home has nice, thick fiberglass batts in place... but notice the gaps between the rolls, and where one piece ends and another is butted against it. These gaps are leaks that let heat escape in the winter, and lets hot air penetrate your ceiling in the summer.