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An expanding information page for: Insulation

A.  General Information
B.  An attic blanket
C.  Foundation walls
D.  Basement walls

A. General Information
The average home has many small leaks, which all together add up to the equivalent of a 2-ft. hole in the wall. The air that leaks through these cracks can account for as much as one-third of your total energy loss. If you have energy inefficiency, you can have high heating bills. Ways to tell if your home is not energy efficient are draftiness fogged or frosted windows, ice dams and high energy bills.

B. An attic blanket
A wide range of insulating and weatherizing materials is now available. Vapor barriers can be made of any material that stops the flow of moisture, like polyethylene film or aluminum foil. Usually, exterior walls should have a vapor barrier between the insulation and the inside wall. Faced fiberglass insulation has a paper or foil facing that serves as a vapor barrier. Faced insulation is more expensive than unfaced insulation, but it's very useful for placing a vapor barrier on the warm-in-winter sides of the walls, floors, and ceilings. An attic blanket is a form of unfaced fiberglass insulation. Unfaced insulation is less expensive than faced insulation, and when used with a solid polyethylene vapor barrier, it provides better protection from moisture. Rigid insulation boards are available in thicknesses from ½" to 2". They're attached directly to basement walls with panel adhesive. A door sweep attaches to the inside bottom of the door to seal out drafts. A felt or bristle sweep is best if you have an uneven floor or low threshold.

Attach baffles to the roof sheathing or rafters. Attaching baffles - If you have an unfinished attic that isn't insulated, adding insulation can really lower your utility bills and improve the comfort level inside your home. Start by attaching baffles to the roof sheathing or rafters to keep the insulation from blocking the airflow under the roof. The baffles should extend past the bottoms of the ceiling joists, to provide a free flow of air from the soffit to the attic. Without this gap, moisture can become trapped inside the rafter spaces and cause the roof sheathing, wallboard, or plaster to break down and rot.

Seal all thermal bypasses - Next, locate and seal all thermal bypasses - gaps or cracks around chimneys and plumbing pipes where heat and moisture can rise into the attic from the heated spaces below. Roll out the insulation, starting at the farthest point from the attic access, and working toward it. If you're using faced insulation, install it with the vapor barrier facing down, toward the warm-in-winter side of the ceiling. Leave at least 3" of clearance between the insulation and any heat-producing structures, like metal chimneys, water heater flues, or recessed lighting fixtures. Build a dam to hold the insulation back.

C. Foundation walls
Insulate the pipes that run through unheated parts of the basement. Since there are concerns about energy conservation, many communities require that the foundation walls in new homes be insulated. If your home wasn't built this way, you can add rigid foam insulation to the inside of the foundation walls. Another effective way to prevent heat loss in a basement is to insulate the rim joists at the top of the foundation walls. You can save energy and prevent frozen pipes by insulating the pipes that run through unheated parts of the basement. The easiest way is to use sleeve-type foam insulation. This is particularly useful in crawl spaces and areas where pipes are hard to reach. You should insulate at least the first ten feet of the hot- and cold-water lines coming out of the hot water heater.

D. Basement walls
Insulating basement walls with rigid insulation boards is very easy.
Start by marking vertical reference lines for the furring strips, using a plumb line. Space the strips so that the insulation boards fit neatly between them, without gaps (but don't space them more than 24" apart). If you plan to install wallboard over the furring strips, attach 2 x 2 top and sole plates above and below the furring strips. Use construction adhesive to attach the furring strips to the foundation walls. Use an insulation-board saw to cut the boards to the height of the wall and to fit between the furring strips, if needed. Make any cutouts needed to fit the boards around receptacles, windows, or other obstructions. Attach the insulation boards to the wall with panel adhesive. Use an adhesive that's compatible with the insulation. To create a vapor barrier, staple polyethylene sheeting to the furring strips, and tape the seams with clear plastic tape. If you want to finish the wall, install wallboard over the insulation, securing it to the furring strips.