Your attic can tell you if your home is energy efficient. As we start to transition into the cold weather, take a moment and look at what is going on in your attic space. If you have fiberglass insulation – I can almost guarantee that your home is leaking conditioned air into the attic. This costs you money on your monthly electric bills and comfort in your daily life.
Look for fiberglass insulation that is black. This is air movement coming to or from the attic. Stop the leak and reduce the energy wasted. Stopping the leaks also improves your home comfort. If you have cellulose insulation it is much harder to see the air leaks. You may need to schedule an energy audit to locate the path of air movement. It will most likely still be there, but harder to find. If you have open cell spray foam installed correctly, your attic is most likely performing very well so your energy challenges will be in other locations.
If you can see the metal of your duct work and it is in an unconditioned space, you are creating a warm moist habitat for mice. I have seen this in so many attics and there is always traces of mice around these thermal bridges. Get your ducts into a conditioned space or at the very least insulate the duct.
If your attic access is not sealed like a door – weather stripping and fixed insulation – you are wasting money.
If there are any pipes venting into the attic, black growth on surfaces, or excessive dirt, your attic is not performing the way it should and you are paying for it monthly.
