Electric Bills and Insulation (sales, how much, house)

[mulrich1]

Our electric bills last summer were much higher than I'd like so I'm thinking about redoing the insulation in our attic. Does anyone have a recommendation on who to contract with or how much/what type of insulation to use?

[SCHelpDesk]

Insulation in the attic will help more with heating in the winter. Before spending money on that, I would check into leaks around windows/doors for cooling issues. I dark tinted my windows that face the south side of my house. That alone dropped my cooling electric bill by $50/month. You can buy rolls of tint on EBay pretty cheap. If you're not a do-it-yourself type, get a quote from any local tint shop. Most will do residential if it's a big enough job to be worth coming out.

For cooling attic issues, try a solar powered attic vent fan. There is a place (can't remember business name) on Broad River Rd (south of I-20) that sells and installs them.

[10scoachrick]

I think it's going to depend on the age of the structure and the amount of insulation already in place. We took the DIY approach to adding blown-in cellulose to the attic of our 1950s ranch-style home in Atlanta. The difference was immediately noticeable. The very hot attic air was now insulated from the living area ceilings. Very important to maintain air flow under/along the roof deck from the eaves, taking care not to block the air with the additional insulation. Home Depot offered free use of the blower with a minimum insulation purchase...the total cost was under $250...worth every penny.

An attic exhaust fan can only bring in air from the outside(you DON'T want it to pull conditioned air from the INside!!!) AND can only move as much air as the venting will allow to enter. That requires clear and appropriately sized vents. Some studies show the fans do not move enough air to justify the cost compared to properly placed/installed venting(ridge venting combined with soffit venting being my favorite).

Except for new construction, I'd avoid any sort of sales pitch from the 'radiant barrier' folks...the return period usually is in MANY years in order to recoup the cost of the 'barrier' installation.

As mentioned, windows are a significant source of heat gain during daylight hours. Light-blocking shades could be the first/easiest step in blocking light infiltration. The higher-end films can make a big difference; but the installation requires some talent to look acceptable. Shading the windows from the outside can be another early step...awnings, trees, etc. to keep the light from hitting the glass.

If no one is in the home for many hours during the day, take care not to waste money cooling TOO much during the day. There is likely a 'sweetspot' at which the home can be maintained at a moderate temperature when the house is empty and then more efficiently cooled when the residents will be home. Running ceiling fans when the house is empty keeps the air stirred up and moving, but will use more electricity than needed, IMO. Moving air is MUCH more effective when the air can touch human skin...just having the air blowing around does little to moderate the temperature. Running fans for 8-10 hours a day when nobody can 'feel' the benefit surely wastes energy and money.

Lots of DIY discussions on Family Handyman, Handy, This Old House, etc with videos showing just what to do. Ain't the internet a wonderful thing!

Good luck.