Insulating Your Home

Keeping your home heated is difficult, particularly in Newfoundland, where winds tend to draw and drive the heat out. Heating costs account for more than 50 per cent of the energy used in your home. Unless your home is built as an R-2000 home, adding insulation will improve the comfort of your home and give you more value for your energy dollar.
 

All insulating materials are based on a single basic principle, that heat moves from warmer to colder areas. On cold days, warm air from inside your home is constantly flowing to the outside air and on warm days, the hot air outside is trying to get in. Fundamentally, heat will continue to move until the temperature outside and the temperature inside are the same.

Insulation slows this process. To maximize your home's energy efficiency, you must insulate all areas of your home susceptible to air infiltration and heat transfer.
 

Before you insulate, check your home to determine the existing insulation levels and which upgrades will give you the most benefit.

• Check attics, basements, crawlspaces, raised or sunken floors, overhangs and walls between ceilings.
• Identify areas you want to heat and areas you do not want to heat.
• Give first consideration to areas of your home that are not currently insulated. As insulation works on a diminishing return basis, some insulation is better than none. However, the first five inches of fiberglass insulation saves 80 per cent of the insulating potential. Additional inches don't save as much because most of the savings have already been achieved. The concept is easier to understand if you think about dressing for cold weather. The first coat you put on makes a big difference in your comfort, but if you put on more coats, each subsequent coat makes less difference.
• If all areas are insulated, ensure the insulation levels meet the minimum recommended levels identified by the Canadian National Building Code. Consider upgrading those areas that do not meet this standard.
    

The answer is probably “yes” if you:

• Have an older home and haven't added insulation since you moved in.
• Are uncomfortably cold in the winter or hot in the summer - adding insulation creates a more uniform temperature and increases comfort.
• Are building or purchasing a newly constructed house - basement concrete walls are seldom insulated.
• Are adding a new room or extension to your home, or installing new siding or roofing.
• Stand in your basement and see bare concrete walls.
• See that snow melts quickly around your foundation - an indication that your home is losing heat from the basement.
• See large icicles hanging from your eave - an indication that your home is losing heat from your ceiling.
• Are bothered by noise from the outdoors - insulation helps to muffle sound.
• Are concerned about the effect of energy use on the environment.
• Are paying more than a $1.00 per square foot a year to heat your home. You can calculate this as follows:

1. Add up your electrical bills for one year.

2. Multiply your July bill by 12 and subtract from #1 to get your total heating bill for the year. (This will account for all your non-heating uses of electricity such as lighting, appliances and hot water.)

3. Calculate in square feet, the floor area of your home. (Exclude unheated basements, garages etc.)

4. Divide the total heating bill by the square footage of the area in #3 to get a cost per square foot.
 

Newfoundland Power’s Wrap Up For Savings Program provides rebates and financing for insulation in your electrically heated home.

Insulating your attic, main floor walls, basement and crawl space will save you money and make your home comfortable for years to come. Click on links below for step-by-step guides to insulating your home.

• Insulating Your Basement
• Insulating Your Attic
• Insulating Your Crawl Space
• Insulating Your Walls
• Your House and How It Works
• Wrap Up for Savings Rebates & Financing