Of all the places in a home where that a person can forget to maintain; the attic is probably number one. It is where most families keep dusty holiday decorations, or maybe family heirlooms they don’t have room for inside the home. Unfortunately, the attic could be costing you. Attics are usually unfinished, which can make them the most vulnerable place in the house for energy loss, causing your utility bills an unnecessary hike.
Rich Gajarsky of Commonwealth Foam, a Richmond foam insulation company, says that the attic and crawlspaces in a home are the two most effective places to insulate because the savings are immediately noticeable. He says most attics are very under insulated. By insulating this area professionally, a homeowner can expect savings of around 20-30%. The temperature reductions are even more staggering. An uninsulated attic can reach temperatures of 140 degrees in the summer, while an insulated one is normally around 85 degrees. The 65 degree difference adds up day after day, year after year.
If you do decide to add attic insulation to your Richmond home, the next choice is to figure out what type of insulation you will use. One option that is gaining in popularity in Richmond, is spray foam insulation technology. This is a polyurethane product that expands as it is applied to fill hard to reach crevices and cracks. It is superior to a more traditional product like fiberglass because according to Gajarsky it can last up to 40-50 years. Traditional methods are said to break down around the 10-20 year mark.
There are also tax incentives for this type of new green technology. The federal government wants homeowners and builders to invest in more efficient improvements, so there are tax credits from .60 to 1.80 per square foot to encourage consumers much like the tax breaks for buying a hybrid car.
Gajarsky and the Operations Manager Larry Cluff both agree to first sign up for an energy audit. This is where a certified energy technician will inspect your home or business from top to bottom and report back where the energy is being lost. This is the most thorough way to know exactly the condition of the building. Things could be better or worse than the resident assumes, and the only way to know is through a detailed analysis. After the audit is complete, the homeowner or business occupant can make an informed decision whether to insulate the Richmond attic or other possible areas of concern.