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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1975-03-20, Page 29Hot fuel -saving tip:. insulate the. attic • :..:: '•,.`• ••'�;:A•wk • INSTALLING 6" of fiber glass insulation in the attic is easy to do and can be completed in an afternoon. Utility bill savings for heating and air-conditioning can help pay Tor the insulation in 1.2 years on most homes. Most homeowners know that insulating the attic is a project even the un - handiest of handymen can accomplish in an after- noon, armed with a tape measure, some batts of six-inch fiber glass insu- lation, a large breadknife, and the sure knowledge that the heating and cool- ing savings wilt be great. But, the . Home Institute of Certain -teed Products Corporation, Valley Forge, Pa., reports that today's homeowner often has questions about the proj - ect when he encounters attic obstructions, exposed wiring, enclosed lighting fixtures, and the like. To help answer some of these "what -do -I -do -now" queries, they've developed a baker's_ dozen insulating checklist . . . one,, which„ even the professional in- sulators often use to make sure the job is completed effectively and correctly: Unused attic? 1. If your attic is to be used for storage, rather than living space„ don't insulate the rafters over- head ... insulate the attic floor. It's expensive to heat an attic that's never used. 2. Use six inches of fiber glass insulation with a vapor barrier (either kraft - paper or foil faced) when insulating an uninsulat- ed attic, The vapor barrier faces down, right on top of the ceiling material. 3. If your attic already has some ins :lation use unfaced insulation. The eigrat product to haiililc is rigid -fit "batts" — insu- lation pre-cut to 48" lengths. This material comes in 15" and 23" widths to fit snugly between the floor joists. When adding insulation with vapor -bar- rier to existing insulation (assuming you can't find unfaced insulation) slash the vapor barrier on the new insulation batts and install the slashed barrier face down. Do not remove the old insulation ... it all helps.. Overtosk s d- areas- 4. reas4. Stuff insulation snug- ly around all vents and pipes which pass from the living areas, through the ceiling into••or through the attic. These often over- looked areas around chim- neys, exhaust fan vents, etc., are "heat leaks." 5. Don't insulate over built-in ceiling lighting enclosures. These often re- quire a vertical heat re- lease to avoid overheating, "burn out" or electrical shorts. 6. Don't ignore floor ar- eas under attic walkways. Often, the batts of insu- lation can be pushed or pulled through these openings between the flooring and the ceiling below it by using an iron garden rake. Under the wiring 7. Where possible, place batts of insulation under attic wiring. That way, you can always locate the wiring easily in the future. 8. Wherever there are "X" members or other cross members between the joists, cut the insula- tion to fit underneath or around them. For "X" members, cut the insula- tion at 90° angles. In ei- ther case snugly butt , the ends of each batt . . . to prevent heat leaks. 9. Insulate the attic ac- cess panel by stapling pieces of fiber glass insu- lation, cut to the same di- mensions, into the top face of the panel. 10. Be sure to leave at- tic vents open during the winter. Properly insulated with 6" of fiber glass in- sulation, the living area will have little heat loss ... and proper ventilation will keep the moisture lev- el low in the attic. What to insulate unused attic space to liv- ing area, insulate only that area which is to be heated. Insulate across collar beams (the new ceil- ing level) , down rafters and vertical knee walls, then horizontally out to the eaves. Make sure there is some space between roof sheathing overhead and the outer face of the insulation if eave .vents exist, to assure • proper ventilation. 12. Open insulation bun- dles only when and where you plan to use them. You'll find they mush- room to more than 4 times the original package size. 13. Use leftover scraps to wrap hot water pipes or heat ducts or stuff them in openings under drafty kitchen cabinets, etc. Waste not, want not! R, 9 SOME PRAC'T'ICAL WAYS TO REDUCE FUEL BILLS, according to the Johns -Manville Insulation Center. Most important and most effective is to insulate the home, especially the attic, top. Other energy -conserving tips include, from left : opening draperies on sunny days to let warming sunlight in; cleaning or replacing furnace filters to keep warm air flowing easily, and caulking around the outside of windows and door frames. Looking to cut heat consumption?. Here are helpful household hints Homeowners everywhere are finding it will cost even more to heat their homes this winter, so the search is on more seriously than ever before for ways to re- duce fuel consumption and lower fuel bills. The 12 most practical ways to cut your fuel bills are listed here, compli- ments of the Johns -Man- ville Insulation Center. 1. Insulate your home well. It's the most effec- tive thing you can do. With adequate insulation, your home will require only about 50' per cent as .much fuel as with no insulation, according to the Insula- tion Center. To insulate an existing home, first pay attention to the ceiling, where heat loss is greatest. You can generally insulate the ceil- ing, where heat loss is greatest. You can gener- ally insulate the ceiling yourself by laying thick but lightweight fiber glass blankets between joists in the attic floor. If you already have some insulation, you can use an "add-on" insulation such as Johns -Manville's Re-, Insul, which is made spe- cifically to bring inade- quate attic insulation up to today's standards. Con- sult an insulation con- tractor about insulating closed -in ceilings and walls. Choose amounts of in- sulation by Resistance numbers, which .tell how well insulation retards heat flow. In new homes, use at least R-19 (61/2 inches thickness ) in ceil- ings, R-11 (3 7/K inches to 4 inches thickness) in walls. Insulation in floors is needed for homes built over open -crawl spaces. 2. Use storm windows or insulating " glass. Double glass resists heat loss al- most twice as well as sin- gle glass, says the J -M In- sulation Center. 3. Use storm doors, keep them tightly latched. 4. Weatherstrip windows and doors to keep warm air in, cold air out. 5. Caulk cracks around the outside of window and door frames.' 6. Call in a heating serv- ice man to clean and ad -k just the heating burner. He should also check bal- ancing of the heat distri- bution system to make sure no room gets more heat than it needs. 7. Clean or replace fur- nace filters. Dirty filters may severely hinder move- ment of warm air, reduc- ing furnace efficiency and wasting fuel. 8. Set the thermostat back at night, butonly six or seven degrees. A bigger setback will require extra fuel for morning pick-up. Always set the thermostat back if you're going to be away for a weekend or longer. 9. Check the location of your thermostat. The J -M Insulation Center says it should be on an inside wall four to five feet above floro level. Keep it away from heat sources such as a TV set or a lamp. 10. Turn off heat in rooms that aren't used. If you have zone thermo- stats to control your heat- ing, consider keeping bed- rooms at a lower temper- ature during the day. If you like to sleep with a window open, make sure the bedroom door is closed. 11. Install a humidifier: When relative humidity is high, you will be comfort- able at a lower tempera- ture. 12. Develop good heat conservation habits. Lock windows to pull sash tightly together. Close fireplace dampers except when a fire is burning. Close draperies at night, open them on sunny days. an on cuing filel overeawi insulation in your attic this winter You can put $250 in the bank and earn' for the year compound interest of 6.5 per cent or $17.03 on your money. Or you can invest that same $250 in your attic and earn up to $90 in one year. That's 36 per cent interest or more than five times the bank rate. What's the, secret? Insulation. Just six inches of fiber glass insulation. Energy experts at the Home Institute of Cer- tain -teed Products Cor- poration, 'Valley Forge, Pa., report that homeowners around the country can save up to 30% on their heating and cooling bills; just by having six inches of insulation overhead. In a 1400 -square -foot home, the national average for savings on heatingbills is over $60. For cooling bills, it's $35 or more. This as- surnes that the home has some insulation in the at- tic already. For those homes ... and there are some 23 million of them, which have no insulation in the attach, savings jump to over $100 and $75 or more respec- tively ... on the average. These heating and cool- ing savings are directly re- lated to the amount of in- sulation in the attic, the severity of the weather in your area, and the style of your home. But, as a rule of thumb, -you can expect insulation to pay for it- self in approximately two years if you add insulation to an uninsulated home. Utility bill savings after that are better than mon- ey in the bank. For additional informa- tion on reducing heating and cooling bills, write for the Old Farmer's Almanac Home Insulation Guide. It outlines expected utility savings for homeowners in 115 U.S. cities, and pro- vides homeowner hints for Installing attic insulation. Available, free, from the Certain -teed Home Insti- tote, Box $60, Valley Forge, Pa. 19482. PAGE 11