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How're you doing?
Hey.
How are you?
Wonderful.
You find everything OK?
Yeah.
I just--my energy bill keeps going up--winter, summer, doesn't matter.
I think I need more insulation, but I don't know much about it.
Understandable.
The main thing with insulation is that your home should
be insulated to a recommended R-factor.
And this can be easily found on actually energy.gov.
There's a map on there that shows you what's recommended
for your particular climate.
OK.
All right.
Great thing about what we carry here at The Home Depot
is that the R-factor, once you find it, is listed on each of the products
depending upon where you actually want to install it.
And it should be relatively easy to decide what you need.
OK. Cool.
You did mention again losing some heat--
Yeah.
So let's start with the attic.
OK.
Great.
Absolutely.
So as heat rises, an under-insulated attic
will actually allow the heat to go right out of your roof.
So not only are you losing heat, but you're also sucking cold air in
through your windows and doors, causing your house
to be totally less efficient.
OK.
Well, how do I know if I have enough?
A general rule of thumb is that if you can see the ceiling joists,
you need to add more.
And if you can't see the joists, then you
need to make sure that you have 12 inches or more in the attic.
OK.
Good to know.
Absolutely.
Let me show you some options.
Great.
If you go with the fiberglass option, there
are three types for us to choose from--
rolled, pre-cut bats, or blown in.
Since we're talking about your attic, my suggestion
would be for you to go with the rolled option as it's better for larger areas.
The pre-cut bats are well-suited for walls
because they come in eight-foot lengths, which is a standard ceiling height.
One thing to point out, though, is that these
come with or without a craft paper facing, which
can be used for a moisture barrier.
So if you're adding this to existing insulation,
it's best to go with the unfaced.
OK.
So if I'm doing this myself, is there anything I need to know?
Any little tips for self installation?
Absolutely.
So for best results, the additional layer
should be laid perpendicular to the ceiling joists
to stop compression of the first layer.
This will also help you to cover up any gaps that you may have.
All right.
If you do have recessed lighting, be sure that you don't lay that
on top of the canned lights unless those lights are
rated for contact with the insulation.
If indeed you do need to cut the existing insulation that you're laying,
this can be easily done with a utility knife.
Just make sure that you don't stuff it in because it'll decrease
the effectiveness of the insulation.
OK.
All right.
One last thing just from a safety standpoint, when utilizing fiberglass,
be sure to wear goggles, gloves, long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and even
a dust mask.
You don't want to expose any skin to the fiberglass.
Yeah, sure.
That makes sense.
Now tell me about the blown in insulation.
Sure.
If you decide to go the blow in route, you
have a choice between cellulose, which is made from recycled paper products,
or fiberglass.
Loose fill insulation can be added to existing insulation,
and it's really, really good in order to get into tough spaces like attics
or even crawl spaces.
Either route you go, you're going to need
to use an insulation blowing machine, which can be rented in any tool
rental center at The Home Depot.
OK.
Great to know.
Now that we've talked about insulation, we also
want to talk about proper air flow.
These are rafter vents, and they allow air
to enter and exit through the soffets in your eaves.
They're easily installed by stapling them
to the roof decking right before you actually install the insulation.
Good.
Now that we've got your attic squared away,
we don't want to forget about the basement.
Gaps love to form where different building materials meet.
A general rule of thumb is if the gap is less than a quarter inch,
then you can utilize caulk to fill it.
And if it's larger than that, you can utilize a foam insulation spray
like this product.
OK.
And for insulating foundation walls from the inside,
the rigid foam board is really going to be your best option.
It comes in different sizes, thicknesses, as well as R-factors.
So if you think about it, once you upgrade your insulation
and check your windows and doors for air leaks,
you should really see some noticeable differences
in how comfortable your home is--
and not to mention, see your heating and air costs go down.
That's what I really want.
Thank you so much.
Absolutely.
And thanks again for shopping at The Home Depot.
You bet.
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