The season is turning, and Jack Frost is nipping at your nose. As part of your winter home maintenance checklist, now is perfect time to make sure your home is well insulated.
Everyone is feeling the pinch of higher gas prices these days, and one of the biggest culprits of a high heating bill is inadequate attic insulation, so proper insulation can really help cut your monthly home maintenance costs.
First, take a moment and check your attic insulation to make sure it hasn’t deteriorated or flattened, which will reduce its efficiency. Look across your attic, and see if the insulation is level with the attic floor joists, or if it’s packed below—which indicates you need more. (If it’s packed down below the top of the joists, then it loses some of its insulation power.) The cheapest way to beef up insulation is to lay down fiberglass batts, which cost about $100 to $500 for an 800-square-foot open attic.
While it’s possible to DIY an insulation refresh, putting down insulation is labor-intensive and can be really messy. If you decide to hire a company to update your insulation, an 800-square-foot attic typically costs $400 to $1,800, depending on the type and insulating value of the material you choose.
—
Photo Credit: Kuchina / Shutterstock.com