Tips for Insulating Your Home During a Cold Spell

Here are a few signs to look for that may indicate your home needs some help in the energy efficiency department: Your energy bills cost you over 10 cents per square foot. For example, your home is 2000 square feet and your SRP or APS bill is $260 in the peak of the summer. That is 13 cents per square foot.

7 Tips for an Energy-Efficient Home

1. Step 1: Upgrade Your Windows.
2. Step 2: Use Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs.
3. Step 3: Get a Tankless Water Heater.
4. Step 4: Update and Design Your HVAC System.
5. Step 5: Improve Your Appliances’ Energy Efficiency.
6. Step 6: Improve Your Insulation.
7. Step 7: Use a Fireplace Insert.

1. Maintain your furnace and HVAC system.
2. Assess your heating zones.
3. Make your home brighter.
4. Swap out sheers for heavier curtains.
5. Seal your doorways.
6. Reglaze, or add a layer of insulation over your windows and doors.
7. Change out the insert in your storm door.
8. Insulate your attic.

If your historic house has original plaster walls, you should not blow insulation into the exterior walls. Old houses with plaster walls have no vapor barrier under the plaster to stop moist air from saturating the insulation. Instead, plaster walls are designed to allow the free exchange of air and moisture.

Fiberglass batts, foam or cellulose can be used to insulate the interior walls. The third area that needs proper insulation is the floors. Rigid foam boards and traditional fiberglass batts work best on the floors. The fourth area to insulate is crawl spaces.

Insulating interior walls isn’t as common, although it offers homeowners some energy saving and sound-dampening benefits. The best time to insulate all walls is during new construction, but it’s possible to add insulation to existing walls without tearing off the drywall.