Looking to Save Money? Upgrade Your Home Energy Insulation

In the current economic climate, everyone is trying to find new ways to save money. From dining out less often to shopping more frugally, there are many ways to actively add money to your monthly bottom line. Another great way to save some cash every month for years to come is to upgrade your home energy insulation.

In the United States today, 46 million homes are under insulated. If your house is more than five years old, odds are it does not benefit from the latest advances in energy efficiency. Making simple upgrades will save you lots of money over the long run, add to your comfort and help the environment by reducing your family’s carbon footprint.

The first step to upgrade your home energy insulation is to determine how much insulation your home needs. This will depend on the area of the country you live in, the age of your home, how your home is built and what kind of heating and cooling mechanisms you use.

If you live in northern regions, you’ll likely need insulation with higher R-values. If your home is older or has high ceilings, you’ll need to consider these factors. Likewise, if you use baseboard heaters instead of a furnace, your insulation needs are different.

Do your research online to determine the needs of your home. Certain areas of the country even offer financial incentives for upgrading your home energy insulation. Find out if such incentives are offered in your area and what you need to do to fulfill their requirements. As an added bonus, extra insulation will help minimize excess sound and moisture in your home.

Insulation is not just for your attic. It should also be in your exterior walls, in floors over unheated areas of your home, in your basement or crawlspace, above cathedral ceilings, over your garage and in between interior walls.  Anywhere cold air can sneak in our out of your home should be protected. Check online or at your local hardware store for the best insulating materials to use in each part of your home.

When you are determining the areas of your home that will benefit from more insulation, you need to figure out how much and what type of insulation you currently have. In your attic, use a ruler to determine the depth of your current insulation. If you have less than six inches, you probably need more. Examine the insulation in your floors. Carefully remove the cover plate from electrical outlets to determine how much insulation is in your exterior walls.

Meeting federal and local building code requirements is only half the battle. Extra insulation will save you thousands of dollars over the course of the years you own your home. The more you upgrade your home energy insulation, the more money you’ll save on your utility bills. In this economy, every last bit of savings is helpful. Do your research, buy your insulation supplies and start saving money today.