Insulate Your Attic to Boost Your Home’s Value

In the average American home, cooling and heating account for 50%-70% of energy used. Because of air leakage and improper insulation, most American homes have inefficient heating and cooling processes that unnecessarily raise utility bills and squander valuable resources. Typically, the areas with inadequate insulation include the attic, crawlspace, exterior walls, and the garage. Properly insulating these areas can help you maintain a more comfortable and consistent temperature in your home and lower your energy costs. For most homes, the attic is the hottest place in the house in the summer and the coldest in the winter. As a result, proper attic insulation can make a big difference in your utility bills and even improve the resale value of your home.

About Insulation

The basic concept behind insulation is that heat flows from warmer to cooler areas naturally. During the winter, this means that warm air moves from heated living areas to the outside and to adjacent unheated areas where there is a difference in temperature, such as attics. In the summer, heat moves from the outside to the indoors. To keep your home comfortable, the heating system must replace the warmth lost in the winter, and the heat gained during the summer must be offset with air conditioning. Properly insulating floors, ceilings, and walls reduces a home’s heating and cooling needs by effectively resisting the flow of heat.

Boosting Resale Value

Recent studies have shown that insulation increases the resale value of your home. Buyers have begun placing more of an emphasis on energy efficiency in assessing a home’s desirability, and attic insulation is one way to substantially improve a home’s heating and cooling efficiency. A study in The Appraisal Journal funded by the Environmental Protection Agency revealed that homeowners increase the market value of the home by $10-$25 for every $1 decrease in annual energy bills. In addition, some states offer tax incentives to homeowners who upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes. When these tax breaks are taken into account, homeowners stand to earn up to a 10% return on their investment in energy efficiency.

Attic Insulation

The attic is a particularly vulnerable area of the house with regard to energy inefficiencies. Typically, the attic has the hottest or coldest temperatures in the house, depending on the season, because of air leakages and inadequate insulation. In the summer, the extreme temperatures of the attic transfer into the living area and ratchet up the demand on the air conditioning system. During the winter, the heat loss caused by frigid temperatures in the attic taxes the heating system. Properly insulating your home’s attic with cellulose or roll insulation lowers the rate of heat transfer, allowing you to get more from your energy dollars while also boosting the value of your home.