Stop Your Heating Costs From Going Through The Roof
December 4, 2007 – 7:42 am
Are your energy costs going through the roof – literally? If you don’t have enough insulation in your attic, you may throwing away a bunch of your hard earned dollars. Fortunately, adding insulation in your attic is easy and it can help reduce your heating and cooling cost for years to come. If that doesn’t motivate you to undertake this simple home improvement task, how about if the government pays part of your cost. If you purchase qualifying insulation products before December 31, 2007, you may be eligible for a federal tax credit.
First, make a trip to your attic and take a look around. If the wood beams of your attic floor are visible, it’s a pretty safe bet that you don’t have enough insulation. But even if you can’t see the beams, you may not have enough insulation. If it’s less than 15.5 inches deep, your attic is probably under-insulated. Although the amount of insulation needed varies depending on the region of the county you live in, the U.S. Department of Energy recommends most attics be insulated to R 49.
R values represent thermal resistance to heat flow and achieving R 49 (the recommended value for the Roanoke, Virginia area) in your attic requires 15.5 inches of fiberglass blanket insulation or about 18 inches of blown insulation. You can check the recommended R-values for your region and calculate the amount of insulation you’ll need to purchase using the calculator at www.InsulateYourAtticNow.com.
If you intend to apply for the federal tax credit, make sure you purchase a product that qualifies under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. To find products that meet the requirements of the Energy Policy Act, visit www.owenscorning.com/insulationfedtaxcredit. If you use qualified insulation and meet the other requirements, you’re entitled to a tax credit worth 10 percent of the purchase price, up to $500.
Portions of this article are courtesy of ARAcontent