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Hi everyone,
I've read most threads here about heat and insulation, but many are older and I was hoping to get more current info.
We live in an old balloon frame constructed house in RVC. We love the area and the house, but we cannot keep the place warm when it gets below 15 or so degrees. When it's 0 degrees or close to it, we're generally between 62-67 degrees (but generally warmer during the day). I know we're not in danger; this is purely a matter of comfort (so "wear a sweater" isn't helpful). So far, I've laid down R30 batts in the attic, put the same batts in the basement ceiling, and had the rim joists and the eaves under the kids' rooms insulated with spray foam.
We've signed up for a free energy efficiency evaluation through the NYSERDA program, but the first vendor we called immediately started the hard sell about blowing in cellulose into the walls. I've read here and elsewhere that doing this a) isn't foolproof, b) can lead to mold, c) sometimes causes the walls of old houses to buckle, d) is an enormous nuisance, and e) often doesn't work for a number of reasons (less than 100% coverage, the cellulose slides down the walls, etc.).
My questions are:
1) Is there an energy efficiency or insulation company you think does good and honest work? I've seen Delfino mentioned. Any others?
2) Does spraying in the walls work for most people who have done it? Does the vendor remediate it if it does not?
3) What have you done to warm up an older home if you have one?
New windows and doors.
Seal any gaps around the house where you can feel a draft.
Not a fan of spray foam or after the fact insulating. If you are planning a major reno at some point, factor a proper insulation job into the budget.
Spray foam is amazing, only viable when doing a gut reno and new construction or the attic of existing homes. r30 isn't even code these days, minimum is r49 in the attic. My old 1950's house was always cold also, when I resided the house the new exterior insulation (foamular r7.5) and windows made a big difference. There is so many variables to fixing this problem and none will be cheap. I bet if you sprayed the attic to code it would make a difference.
I suggest going with Green Home Logic in West Hempstead for the energy audit. Jeff is a good guy.
He will do the door blower test and find all leaks in the home. Thermal imaging camera to find cold spots and he will recommend what to insulate. His fees are low and PSEG will give you 15% rebate as well.
My home is built in 1947. Attic and kneewall insulated. Biggest problem is that my walls are solid and not insulated. They got as low as 50 degrees this week. All my hot air would rise to the 2nd floor. I fixed by adding a thermal curtain on the stairway with the adjustable bars. Works a lot better and keeps the warm air downstairs.
Insulating the walls will help a lot.
Find drafts with smoke test by getting some incense sticks, light it up and go test it on windows, doors, attic hatch, air conditioner, vents, anything that gets in contact with outside.
Chalk all window frame cracks.
Weather seal windows and doors.
What kind of heating do you have?
I would get some space heaters for rooms that are colder than others.
The big question of course is how many 0 degree days you expect in a giving heating season. Even if you used a few space heaters for those few days it wouldn't add up to more than a few tens of dollars in extra electric a month I'd think. You could also use a thermostat control that only powers them when the temperature dips below 60 in a certain cold room.
Compare that against the likely cost of doing either a gut and insulate or patching up what you have.
I want to thank you all for your replies. I appreciate them.
We had an energy efficiency audit today and it turns out our 1st floor walls are well insulated, but our windows, 2nd floor, and attic are not. We got a very reasonable quote for insulating the entire attic with blown in fiberglass, then doing the stairs with cellulose, and paneling the doors as well. Along with that, he provided a quote for blowing insulation into the 2nd floor. While I definitely have some concerns, I think these are reasonable and relatively cost-effective solutions.
Regarding the space heaters, we do use them and they're great at providing temporary warmth, but we can't leave them on overnight, and we have very high 1st floor ceilings, so they're not very effective downstairs. Despite our thermostat saying otherwise, our upstairs is generally pretty warm even when it's cold.
The auditor also recommended branching off existing baseboard heating to add baseboard units around the upstairs and perhaps also the 1st floor. But he felt that insulating the 2nd floor walls and the attic were the primary issues.
If you have thoughts, please share them, and thanks again for your initial feedback.
I suggest going with Green Home Logic in West Hempstead for the energy audit. Jeff is a good guy.
He will do the door blower test and find all leaks in the home. Thermal imaging camera to find cold spots and he will recommend what to insulate. His fees are low and PSEG will give you 15% rebate as well.
My home is built in 1947. Attic and kneewall insulated. Biggest problem is that my walls are solid and not insulated. They got as low as 50 degrees this week. All my hot air would rise to the 2nd floor. I fixed by adding a thermal curtain on the stairway with the adjustable bars. Works a lot better and keeps the warm air downstairs.
Insulating the walls will help a lot.
Find drafts with smoke test by getting some incense sticks, light it up and go test it on windows, doors, attic hatch, air conditioner, vents, anything that gets in contact with outside.
Chalk all window frame cracks.
Weather seal windows and doors.
What kind of heating do you have?
I would get some space heaters for rooms that are colder than others.
This is very helpful. Thank you. I will call Green Home Logic and I just submitted my application for PSE&G's assessment. I have gas powered baseboard heating. I'm thinking we need to use clear caulk around all the window frames inside, and we definitely need to wrap the pipes in the basement. I know that will also help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gx89
Spray foam is amazing, only viable when doing a gut reno and new construction or the attic of existing homes. r30 isn't even code these days, minimum is r49 in the attic. My old 1950's house was always cold also, when I resided the house the new exterior insulation (foamular r7.5) and windows made a big difference. There is so many variables to fixing this problem and none will be cheap. I bet if you sprayed the attic to code it would make a difference.
My DiY attic work was...not ideal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by markjames68
The big question of course is how many 0 degree days you expect in a giving heating season. Even if you used a few space heaters for those few days it wouldn't add up to more than a few tens of dollars in extra electric a month I'd think. You could also use a thermostat control that only powers them when the temperature dips below 60 in a certain cold room.
Compare that against the likely cost of doing either a gut and insulate or patching up what you have.
How is it in the summer?
Hi Mark,
I think it's generally worth it to spend a reasonable amount of money to improve our comfort here, since we expect to live in the house for 7-8 more years. If we spend 4000-5000 dollars on this, it's essentially like paying $50 a month to greatly improve our comfort. I'm okay with that. The energy auditor we dealt with today works for an insulation company, so he's obviously not an ideal source of truth, but he noted that the high ceilings on the 1st floor will present a challenge to even the most powerful space heater.
In the summer, we use our central AC, but it's drafty year round.
Another option if you have any fireplaces is a fireplace insert or wood stove. This is what people in places like New England and Upstate New York use to deal with more extreme cold then there is on Long Island, old houses, and basically the same heating systems.
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