All Frankfort residents know the importance of winterizing your home, but even those who have actively prepared their residences could have overlooked three effective weatherization solutions, that could have a huge impact on your current comfort levels.
1. Insulating Your Attic Hatch Or Pull-Down Stairs
The hatch or staircase that gives you entry into your attic can actually be costing you a great deal of money and comfort. It is estimated that most of the heat lost in your home is actually lost through the attic. As heat rises, it will often escape through miniscule holes in existing attic insulation. Even the smallest uninsulated part of your attic can allow massive amounts of warm air to escape, resulting in a much colder house, and a higher monthly heating bill.
Attic hatches and pull-down stairs are rarely insulated, and are often major leakage points. Insulating these parts of your attic will not only stop heat from escaping, but will also prevent ice dams from forming on your roof. For these reasons, this simple solution is often very effective at preventing energy loss.
2. Fixing Attic Kneewalls
Another common feature in most attics are structures called “kneewalls.. These are vertical walls that are extremely common in enclosed spaces, although they are often the weakest part of a building’s enclosure. This weakness is due to many factors, one of the most detrimental being the fact that knee walls have the only “exterior wall” insulation that is not enclosed between the sheet rock and the exterior siding. This placement significantly reduces the insulation's ability to resist the transfer of incoming heat. These areas are often further compromised by insulation with poor quality, insulation that is falling out, insulation that was installed incorrectly, and sometimes even a combination of all three.
The best way to fix these associated problems is to seal any current leakage points, fill the cavity with insulation, and put a rigid sheathing material on the attic side of the wall. By doing this, you can significantly lower the amount of air escaping through your attic.
3. Air Seal
Air sealing is often the most effective solution for both of these previously mentioned problems. Dirty spots on your ceiling and carpet will often indicate air leakages at certain wall/ceiling and wall/floor joints. By caulking these points, we can seal off these leakage points, providing you with a much more energy efficient solution and ensuring that your home stays warm all winter long.
These solutions will not only help keep your home comfy in the winter, but can also keep your home comfortable in the upcoming summer. The more you are able to keep your home insulated from the outside, the better off you’ll be. Measures for your home typically thought of as “winterization” tactics also go a long way to “summer-izing” it, helping you stay comfortable year-round, no matter the weather outside.
Interested in taking advantage of these suggestions? Contact Assured Insulation Solutions for a consultation today.