Well, I know now why I spent so much money on heat this past winter.
I had a company over last night to quote rain gutters & blown-in insulation for my attic. In the past I've found that the cost for my highest A/C use and my highest heat use are fairly similar. Not this year! We've had some near-record highs this summer so far (week-long stretches of +90°F), and yet my highest total energy bill has been about $80. My highest bill this past winter? Over $280!
Turns out there's almost no insulation up there! In my region, the recommended insulation depth is 16-18 inches; I currently have 4... 4? Really? Wtf? I spent most of the winter thinking that I'd have to replace my +20 year old furnace-A/C system (it's only an 80% efficient heating unit), but now I'm hoping it's just an insulation issue. I mean, I'll likely have to replace it in a few years anyway, but if I can postpone that a bit, it would be helpful.
As an aside, I finally got to check out the attic space, and man is it cool looking! With the highly sloped roofline I have, there's a ton of space up there! I'm almost hesitant to put all that insulation up there, because it would be a great space to finish off & create more living area. With what I know now about drywall, I could probably finish it myself, but it would still need a lot of work; 1st, it would require (at least) a pull-down stairway, and also, it would need to have the soffets vented in order to allow air flow through the rafters to a ridge vent. I'm guessing that having those done would cost quite a bit, and I doubt I'd recoup much of that cost.
Still, it's fun to think about!
8:54 a.m. - 2018-07-28
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