That 70% energy loss stat on old attic insulation floored me

I was reading a City of Edmonton rebate page and found out my 1960s R-12 attic insulation was basically letting 70% of my heat escape. I always thought 'insulation is insulation' until I saw that number. Anyone else check their attic R-value after a brutal winter bill?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliver210d ago

Did you actually measure your attic depth yet or just guess? I had the same R-12 stuff in my place and after a winter where my gas bill hit $450 I crawled up there with a tape measure. Turned out I had about 6 inches of that old pink fiberglass which is basically useless. I ended up blowing in cellulose myself and it made a huge difference the next season. The material cost me around $300 after the city rebate and I dropped my heating bill by about 40 percent. If you're handy and have a friend to help feed the machine, it's totally doable in an afternoon.

hugo_schmidt10d agoMost Upvoted

Got any tips on keeping the cellulose from settling over time? I did my attic about 5 years ago with blown in fiberglass and I swear it's already compressed in some spots from just the weight of itself. I know cellulose is heavier too. I'm thinking about topping it off but worried I'll just be doing this again in another few years. Did you go thicker than the R-value you needed to account for settling?