Insulation plays an important role in keeping your home comfortable and energy-efficient. It prevents heat loss in winter and hot air in summer.
While hiring a professional is an option, some insulation projects are perfect DIY jobs. Follow these DIY Home Insulation Tips to save money and get your home insulated.
1. Seal Air Leaks
Keeping warm air in and cold air out is one of the most important things you can do for energy efficiency. This is a great time of year to make a few quick insulation fixes to prevent drafty rooms and high energy bills.
Sealing small leaks around doors, windows, and the basement is a simple DIY project that can drastically reduce drafts and energy bills. Use weather stripping around door frames, and caulk around window frames. Install foam gaskets behind electrical outlet and switch plates on walls.
Look for dirty spots on your ceiling paint and carpet that may indicate air leaks at interior wall/ceiling joints and wall/floor joists and caulk them. Replace single-pane windows with more efficient double-pane low-emissivity windows. Use foam sealant on larger gaps around windows and baseboards. Check your dryer vent to be sure it’s not blocked, which will save energy and could prevent a fire. These are just a few of the many easy and quick DIY home insulation tips you can try to keep brisk winter air out and cozy indoors.
2. Insulate Attics
A little attic insulation goes a long way toward making your home comfortable and energy efficient. It can prevent heat from escaping in winter and hot air from entering in summer, prolongs the life of your roof and can save you hundreds each year on utility bills.
This is one of the easiest DIY projects for insulating your home. However, be sure to do a thorough inspection of the attic space before you get started to ensure it is well ventilated and clear of any obstructions. If you have standard recessed light fixtures in the attic, be especially careful not to lay insulation over them, as this could ignite the insulation and cause a house fire.
It is recommended that you wear protective clothing including long sleeves, pants and a dust mask when working with loose-fill insulation or spray foam. Also, use a ladder to work in the attic rather than crawling. Be sure to staple a continuous, sealed polyethylene air and vapour barrier to the attic joists after laying the insulation. This is the most important step to prevent soffit or wall leaks.
3. Insulate Walls
Proper insulation in walls can make a huge difference in keeping a home warm and cozy and reducing energy consumption. It keeps warm air in during winter and prevents hot outside air from coming in during summer. It also reduces noise and protects against moisture problems like mold and mildew.
To insulate interior walls, you can use either batting or roll insulation. For a DIY project, you can buy fiberglass rolls or batts, cut them to size with a utility knife, and insert them between wall studs, stapling it tightly with a staple gun every 7 inches. Be sure to notch (not compress) insulation around electrical outlets and to tuck it behind outlets.
For more professional results, you can spray on cellulose or mineral wool insulation. This is made from recycled materials and can fill gaps better than loose fill. It’s more expensive, however, and best left to a pro for new construction or major renovations. It expands on contact with water and foams to seal air leaks and block vapor penetration. It’s also suitable for open walls in new construction or major renovations.
4. Insulate Floors
If your home was built with solid concrete floors or has old, thin wooden flooring, insulating them can be an effective way to keep your house warmer and cut your energy bills. In addition to a warm surface to walk on, improved insulation will prevent air from escaping through your floorboards and will also stop draughts from entering.
This type of DIY project can be very simple and affordable, depending on the kind of insulation you choose. Fiberglass, cellulose and spray foam are all good options, and each has its own benefits. Fiberglass is cheap and easy to install, cellulose is eco-friendly and offers soundproofing properties, and spray foam is perfect for hard-to-reach areas.
It’s important to know how to insulate floors because it is one of the most common sources of heat loss and cold air intrusion into homes. Installing insulated floors will help you maintain a consistent indoor temperature and reduce your heating and cooling costs. Depending on your floor, you can use rigid foam boards or a polystyrene foam, installed with construction adhesive.
5. Insulate Water Pipes
A well-insulated home keeps the warm air in and the cold air out. It also saves energy and lowers your heating bills. It’s not too late to keep your family comfortable and prevent your winter energy bills from skyrocketing with a few easy DIY home insulation tips.
Water pipes are especially prone to freezing in unconditioned crawl spaces, basements, or unheated attics, so it’s important to insulate them. This simple DIY project will not only lower your energy bill, but it will also protect your pipes from corrosion and leaks caused by the freezing temperatures.
Pipe insulation is inexpensive and readily available at home improvement stores. The most common type is a foam sleeve that can easily be cut to length and wrapped around the pipes. Make sure the slit is facing down and secure it with acrylic or duct tape, cable ties, or wire every 1 to 2 feet. If your pipes run through wall cavities, insulate the entire cavity with blown cellulose, fiberglass, or spray foam. If your home has wooden floorboards, be sure to seal the gaps around the pipes as well.