A third summer without AC posted 9/17/2009 10:55:40 AM | 1 kudo what's this?     report abuse

thenewguy295

On days like this the insulation really pays for itself.

It went down into the 30s last night but in the house it was about 68 when I got up. Now the sun is shining brightly and I have the blinds open and it's warming up nicely inside.

This summer wasn't a very warm one and combined with three large trees that keep half the house in shade at any one time I didn't need to install the AC again. In fact I haven't had it in the window now for three summers except for a brief period at the end of '07 when we had a bit of a heat wave with high humidity.

I've been in my house for about seven years now and have been adding insulation a little bit each year and ventilation and I'm at the point where I really can't do much more. In places I have an R 55 or 60. I have one bedroom wall with a northwest exposure and I suspect it has little insulation in it especially when it's windy.On that wall, so far, I've just hung a couple of quilts and put some cardboard boxes behind the furniture until I can get inside it to see what it needs. It seems to help.

I've kept all my utility bills and my energy consumption is down by a third from the first year or two. I keep pointing this out to friends as they complain about high heat bills every winter but most of them haven't done too much about it. Insulation is expensive and the several hundred dollar cost is payable now if you choose to install it (even yourself) but the heat bill is months away.

Usually I would spend $100 -$200 a year and just do part of the attic or a wall, just a little at a time and the results weren't apparent immediately. But now with it all in place I'm seeing big savings year round. In the summer heat builds up in the attic but is vented outside and the insulation keeps the heat out of the living areas so other than using the ceiling fans or opening a window I don't have to do too much to keep cool. In the winter I would keep the furnace very low and just use space heaters to warm the part of the house I was in or at night an electric blanket.

Spring and fall are when the big savings come in, the sun is free and warm days and cold nights will average themselves out inside the house so I don't have to pay to heat or cool it.

I figure I save about $10 - $50 a month on energy, depending on what time of year it is, so if you are wondering if insulating your house is worth it I would say yes. It will pay for itself within a few years.

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