Home insulation - ACTUAL utility savings?

I'm 2 years (basically to the day) into a 'new' house.

Our old house was built in 1969, and this one in 1972. Neither were/are well insulated. I did attic insulation in the old house on my own. I can't say how much of a difference it made, but it couldn't have hurt. And heating/cooling a 1,600 square foot split-level wasn't really all that much money anyway.

Our new house is a lot larger, and the up stairs is cold when the first floor is comfortable.

Our attic is insulated. It could probably use more. I can do that on my own. The WALLS are where I'm considering having foam injected.

Estimates for this kind of work are $3,000 - $7,000. I realize that improved efficiency will pay for itself over time, but I'm hesitant to shell out thousands right now if the savings isn't going to be somewhat significant right away. That said, I also fully understand that the sooner we add insulation, the longer it saves us money...

Who has had it done, and at what costs? With what savings?

(for reference, I live outside Cleveland, so we have real actual winter 3-4 months a year, and I use the AC liberally from June through August when it's 80-90 and humid)

 

I'd also check your windows, and your air handling system to ensure it's actually getting enough air up stairs.

 

good points, but there's a lot more wall than window.

With that said, I think a furnace and duct cleaning/inspection is probably in order. And an energy audit.

 

An inspector with a thermal imaging camera will do wonders showing you where you are losing your heat at...

 

I saw something on a This Old House episode one time that was really neat. They closed all of the doors, windows, and vents then sealed a huge suction fan in one of the doorways and cranked it up full blast to create a vacuum in the whole house. Then they went around with a little smoke producing tool to measure drafts. It was amazing where air was coming in: outlets, window frames, attic access, door frames, thresholds, and so on.

 

My parents did foam in the lake house and have had great results. No idea about the cost but they say the house is much better now and think it was totally worth it.

The house has high ceilings and big windows so it would get hot/ cold pretty fast

 

Yes you have more wall than windows, but heat loss/gain through windows is MUCH higher than through the wall. If you have old single glazed windows (common in '72) you would be better off replacing the windows if there is any insulation in the walls already.

 

also even in-stock home depot replacement windows when combined with butyl tape/house wrap are way more energy efficient than single pane glass.

 

Hell. A piece of plywood is more energy efficient than single pane glass.

 

plus its "hurricane proof"...lol

 

All of those things help. You should also get as many estimates as possible. $7k sounds high. A good crew that focuses on energy savings will seal all possible paths for air to escape as well as inject insulation in the walls and attic.

You should look at is as the number one reason is comfort. The energy savings will come but probably will not be significant until looked over the course of year over year savings. Also check to see if your utility is offering a rebate for energy savings upgrades.

And yes, windows also will help tremendously. You really need to do all of this. Also, incandescent lights are major energy hogs, especially flood lights and those old round mirror lights.

I did my house, injected insulation, attic, windows and just got en email from the utility how I am one of most efficient homes in my area, over 100kWh less than an efficient home. Of course at ~.11 per kWh it will take a long time to recoup the costs.

 

Which is, of course, a major consideration in Ohio. I fully endorse Dern's recommendation.

 

Are the fed tax deductions for home energy improvements still in place. At one time you could write off insulation, windows, doors etc. if you still can, you would save what ever your effective tax rate is making things a little cheaper anyway.

As was mentioned befor, I would look at the windows first. Between their lower R value and the potential for air leaks, windows make the biggest difference.

 

Our windows are definitely not original. That's not to say that I assume they could not be more efficient, but they're vinyl windows, in good working condition, and seal snugly, if not tightly when properly latched.

The energy audit with a thermal camera seems to be the most useful information here. Duct cleaning is free though. I'm going to start there. leaf blower and shop vac should do a decent job, in combination.

 

Hey, you ever been to Cleveland? Some nice OSB and he'll have the swankiest joint on the block!

 

Newer doesn't necessarily mean better. Installation makes all the difference.

I've seen enough hack crews come through and install vinyl replacement windows and do a shit job at sealing the space between the RO and the window, because "foam bows the window frames and causes them to bind"...

 

I thought that was a Detroit thing.

 

Detroit wishes they could get OSB...

 

Now the question is "how much money can I justify on the thermal camera?"

seems like the type of thing I will use once, and then let sit in a drawer. eBay, here I come...

 

Rent or hire a firm to do the test.