Our house has a few inches of insulation (probably cellulose, by the look of it) but not enough for the recommended R-38 (in W. Michigan), so we are thinking of upgrading it.
Questions:
Is it worth the extra cost of fiberglass insulation when what's there already is cellulose?
Do we insulate the part of the attic that is above the garage as well or leave it uninsulated as it is now?
Is it worth doing it ourselves rather than have somebody else do the job? Where do we find someone to do it? -- what is the category in the Yellow Pages?
Insulation is usually the cheapest form of energy savings. Next comes fixing weather stripping. (air leaks) Find out what you have and then what is recommended for your area and add the recommended amount. If there is any attic work planned do it before the insulation.
I bought an 1999 home this February. When constructed it had R-30 good for our area. I had installed R-19 over the original, and R-30 in the garage. My garage door faces west. I installed myself insulating panels in the garage door. My brother did the same at the same time. His wife has noticed the difference in the garage and the home. I have not been in mine long enough to know. I contacted the utility and asked what the usage was for the last year. They said an high of $250 and a low of $120. My high was $154 which is mostly a/c. This year was close in heat from last year.
I found a company that installed the insulation for less than I could buy it. Let alone the installation. My home was cellulose so I stuck with it. Fiberglass was more expensive and takes more inches for the same R value. I know that cellulose looses about 1 R per year because of settling and compacting. I do not plan to be in this home more than 5 years so I am not concerned about the settling.
If you have a Menard's up there, there's a good rebate deal on right now on Johns-Mansville insulation. If you're in Michigan with 'a few inches' of insulation, you have work to do!
It's not hard work, and the J-M caused me no grief in the form of itching, etc. You'll be on your hands & knees and I recommend kneepads if you're anywhere near my age.
I went from 'a few > Our house has a few inches of insulation (probably cellulose, by the
We have Menards here, but I see nothing in their current ad. about a rebate from J-M, and Menards' current price seems to be the regular price -- nothing says "sale." Moreover, the J-M insulation advertised is the more expensive fiberglass stuff. I'll have to visit the store.
I hadn't thought about the reduced wear and tear on the furnace; that's worth keeping in mind too.
It is well worth the extra cost. You'll recoup the cost in one or two winter seasons.
Insulating the garage should be a low priority, unless you plan to spend time there.
It is an easy, perhaps 1-day job. Get protective clothing and a tight-fitting dust mask. I used batts instead of the loose stuff, and placed the batts on top of the cellulose. I used non-faced batts (the "no itch" kind). I'm sure you can hire someone to do it.
OK, I see that the J-M rebate is for rolls and batts, not for blown-in insulation. Our roof is low-pitch and not easy to get into the sides, so I assumed we'd blow the insulation in.
MB
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