Winter is here and if your home is poorly insulated, it’s time to start lowering those energy bills. Here are 8 DIY home insulation tips to keep the heat in and the cold out this season:
Insulation isn’t just for walls; you can also add it to your attic, water heater, doors, windows, floors and more. These projects can be done on a budget with spray foam or fiberglass batts.
1. Insulate Your Attic
A poorly insulated attic can lead to expensive energy bills, especially in the winter. But with DIY materials and a little effort, it’s not difficult to insulate your attic yourself.
Before installing new insulation, make sure to clean out your attic space and repair any roof leaks to prevent moisture from ruining the material you’re putting in. It’s also important to plan ahead for how you’ll access your attic, as this can affect the effectiveness of the project.
Consider adding a door snake, which is a piece of fabric that covers the attic hatch to prevent cold air from sneaking in. You can also create your own foam board, which is easy to install in front of your attic hatch.
2. Insulate Your Water Heater
Many homeowners don’t realize that their water heater can be insulated. This is one of the easiest DIY projects to do, and you can recoup your investment within 12 months.
Hot water pipes lose heat energy as they travel to your faucets and showers, so insulating them reduces energy consumption. This saves money and helps to prevent mold and mildew in your pipes.
You can buy a pipe insulation blanket that fits your water heater to insulate it. Make sure that you turn off power to the water heater before you begin. You’ll also need a marker, gloves, electrical tape, scissors and a dust mask. Remember to cut a flap over the control panel so that you can access it when necessary.
3. Insulate Your Windows
As winter approaches, now is the time to start thinking about insulating your home. Proper insulation helps to cut energy costs and keep your house warm all winter long.
You can find many affordable DIY insulation options for your windows. One option is to use bubble wrap, which is inexpensive and easy to apply. Simply cut sheets of the plastic film with medium to large bubbles to size, spray your clean window pane with water and press the bubble wrap in place.
You can also buy a special window insulation kit that will allow sunlight in while keeping cold air out. Another inexpensive DIY option is to use caulk.
4. Insulate Your Doors
Door insulation is a great way to keep warm air inside your home and reduce energy costs. A simple tube of caulk can make a big difference when it comes to keeping the cold out.
Draughts around doors can add up to 20% of your heating bills. Adding a door sweep and/or draft snake can help you cut those costs.
If you have an older house, your builder may not have added any insulation to your doors or frames. If that’s the case, you can use spray foam insulation made for doors to fill the gaps. Be careful, however, because using too much could damage the frame of your door.
5. Insulate Your Floors
If you live in an older home it is likely that your floorboards aren’t as insulated as they could be. If you can access them, laying insulation between the floor joists is an easy DIY project that will make a big difference to your room’s temperature.
Solid floors, or ones that are covered by a floor covering such as carpet, can still be insulated, though the process is slightly more involved. If you have concrete floors, you can add a layer of rigid foam insulation to your basement or crawlspace.
For more details on this, Mother Earth News has pretty detailed directions here. Again, the right PPE is important to wear for this type of work (full-length overalls, respirator, and carpenter’s pencils are a must). Using thick curtains on your windows is also another simple way to keep warm air in and cold air out.
6. Insulate Your Wall Cavities
Insulating your walls is a great way to keep your home warm in winter and cool in summer while reducing your energy costs. However, some forms of insulation are easier to install than others.
Cavity wall insulation (CWI) is most commonly applied from the outside by a specialist insulation installer who drills small holes (about the size of a ten pence piece) and sprays the insulating material into them. Before any CWI is fitted, it’s important that any maintenance issues like cracked walls or leaking gutters are addressed.
If your house was built before 1920, it may have cavity walls. If it does, a reputable insulation company can advise on the most suitable type of WCI.
7. Add a Vapor Barrier
Vapor barriers, which are also known as vapor retarders, control the rate at which water vapor passes through building materials. They are designed to restrict the flow of moisture that could cause damage, especially wood rot and mold.
A vapor barrier is most commonly installed underneath homes and in crawl spaces. It protects these areas from moisture that could wreak havoc on wooden structural supports, such as beams and floor joists, and from soil gases like radon.
When installing a vapor barrier, be sure to leave enough room around windows and doors for entry and exit. For larger holes or rips, patch these with seaming tape. This will save labor and ensure a strong adhesion.
8. Insulate Your Water Heater
If you have a water heater located in unconditioned space, consider adding an insulation blanket. This simple DIY project can cut extra heat loss and significantly reduce your energy bills.
Insulating your water pipes is a quick and easy home improvement project that most homeowners can do themselves. However, be sure to use non-flammable materials, and wear gloves and a dust mask when working with fiberglass insulation.
While wall insulation is the most effective way to improve your home’s energy efficiency, there are many other simple projects that can help you save money on your energy bills. The 10 projects in this list are affordable, easy, and fast to do yourself.