Control Your Attic, It Wastes Energy

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Did you know windows only account for about ten percent of your home's heat loss? In comparison, walls and attic account for about seventy percent of your heat loss. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that homeowners can typically save approximately twenty percent on average of heating and cooling costs by sealing their homes and adding insulation, such as spray foam insulation, in attics, crawl spaces, and their basement rim joists. This can add up to ten percent of your total power bill. Attic bypasses are a danger. They allow heat to escape from your living space into the attic. Your warm attic melts the snow on your roof, causing water to flow down the roof and freeze at the edges. This frozen water causes ice dams that block additional water running down your roof. The water can then find it's way under a shingle and into the attic. Attic air sealing and adding insulation are money saving projects if your attic is accessible and not too small to move around properly in. Plenty projects can be completed in a day or two and will provide benefits for years to come. However, if upon inspection of your attic you find wet or damp insulation indicating a leaky roof that would need to be repaired beforehand. Also, moldy or rotted attic rafters or floor joists can also indicate moisture problems. It is important to seal all bypasses, holes and openings in the attic before insulating. Otherwise, air can filter through the insulation. This wastes heat and condensation may deposit moisture in the insulation, reducing its effectiveness. It can also damage roof sheathing, and ceiling and wall plaster. Attic fans are a greater help. They can draw cooler air into the house and blow the warmer air out that's trapped in the attic, which can increase energy efficiency. Remember though, attic fans are only effective if the air outside is cooler than the air inside. Kitchen, bathroom, and clothes dryer vents that exhaust moist air directly into the attic space instead of outdoors can also be an issue by causing moisture from water vapor, and distributing heat into the attic. So remember, your attic is a major of energy loss. Control your attic and control your energy consumption.