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I'm considering adding insullation to exterior walls in crwal space where my HVAC return is. I've received many conflicting comments. It seems to me that the cold air can enter the home through the return vent. So...do I or don't I?? Please help!!!
Insulating any part of your home is pretty much always a good idea. Some parts of your home, especially the space between the inside of the roof and the area of insulation over the ceiling, needs to be vented unless the structure is built to be sealed like a commercial building's envelope.
The question of WHERE in your home added insulation will have the greatest benefit is best answered by have a qualified professional perform an energy audit.
Do an Energy Audit. My utility company arranged for audits at a cost of $25 per house.
My engineer and I just had a conversation about this very subject yesterday as I too have a crawl space. Your house has to breathe. Insulate inbetween the studs under the floor. You can also add a blacket of insulation in the attic, but there is a caveat.
Most houses have eaves that are vented. You cannot block airflow in the attic or eaves. So the insulation does not pass the inside edge of the attic floor that touches the inside of the roof. --> 4 <--Look at the left side of he number four. At that point to the far left, STOP! Do not extend the insulation. In other words, do not push insulation down toward the eaves. Ever, ever, ever. It is there for a reason just as your roof vents are. The purpose is to remove hot air from the attic. If you block the air flow, your shingles litterly boil, buckle and flake. The 25-year shingles I just put on would be useless.
I had the energy audit that revealed places where there were gaps between the foundation and the sill. that needed to be caulked to seal.
There are several types of insulation. if your home is small like mine, the cheapest way to insulate is buy rolls of insulation and do it yourself. Lay the insulation between the studs. Do not staple. If you think it does not have enough R factor lay a second layer across the first like this + . You can tape the pieces together like a blanket if you want. The advantage is this, if you ever need ot do attic work,you can move the insulation aside. Also, if it insulation gets wet it is no good. It is easy enough to remove and replace one piece of insulation. Also most insulation is good for about 15 years.
No insulation lasts forever.
Be very careful about blowing insulation in side walls if you have an older house say from the 1940s or earlier. Many of the old houses still have knob & tube wiring that could be active. This stuff has to have room to move. My neighber had a Victorian house with knob & tube wiring. He had the blown-in insulation put in the side walls. Two days later the house burned. He turned on the wall pocket lights. The wires couldn't move for the insulation, the wires got too hot and started the fire.
It is for this very reason that I do not insulate my own side walls. My house is old and I don't know what is in it. I'm going to lay the insulation like my engineer friend suggested. And save $4,000.00 over the quotes I had from insulation companies.
I live in the middle of the midwest where winters are cold and summer are hot. What was suggested for me - may not correct or even work well for where you live. Check with the local handyman. He will know someone who understands local insulation. I usually go to my Ace hardware where I live because most of the guys know the trades and how the local houses are build and what products are used locally that get the best results. It is the only store I vouch for. .
Almost bought a house until I found mold in the attic completely covering the underside of the roof. Owners stuffed insulation into the eave vents AND added batt insulation directly under the roof with no air gap. Plus there was almost no ventilation. Perfect place to grow mold.
House had insulation already above the ceiling so they shouldve put down unfaced batts in the + pattern mentioned above.
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