Welcome to The Energy Conservation Site!

Whether you are interested in saving the environment or just saving a few dollars, we endeavor to give you the best, most informative advice for conserving that precious commodity, energy. This is Ken and Jason, and we are The Energy Conservation Site.

For our first post, let's talk about something that everyone needs... insulation.

>Jason) I want to talk for a bit about homes. In your home, the one thing that will cause you the most trouble on your Gas or Electric bill is your insulation. Depending on where you are in the world, many older homes have insulation in the attic, which is good. Unfortunately, it's not enough. Many newer homes, especially in states where there are laws governing the efficiency in buildings, also have insulation in the walls. The question is: how much do you need? Ken?

>Ken) First, how much insulation do you have? Send someone young and agile into your attic to take a look! Typical home construction in the good old USA will have ceiling joists (those 2x4 or 2x6 wood boards that hold up the ceiling), if you can't see them , that's good. Get a yard stick and measure the depth of the insulation. Too thin to measure? NOT GOOD! Depending on the type of insulation present, there should be between 6" and 24" of depth.

>Jason) Right. Now the reason that we recommend between 6 and 24 inches is because every kind of insulation is different. You see, insulation is rated by its ability to...well...insulate. The rating they use is something called "R" value. We'll get into the ratings for different kinds of insulation in a minute, but first lets find out how much "R" you need. Here in California, we recommend an R value of 38 for your attic. In your walls, you need no less than R-13. Now, if you have blown fiberglass (loose pink or yellow fiberglass) your R value is 2.2 per inch. This is one of the most common forms of fiberglass. Next is rockwool. This will look like dark gray wool, and you'll get a R-value of 2.8 per inch. The other most common insulation is cellulose, which is actually processed and fire-proofed paper. (it appears ground up and also grayish) This will give you an R-value of 3.8. To keep from boring you, you can view other available types of insulation and R-values here:

Insulation R-Values

>Ken) The amount and type of insulation is important. Blown in cellulose, foam, any type that covers everything like a blanket is always best. Fiberglass batts are designed to fit between the ceiling joists, and leave cracks between the batt and the joist, they will also often curl up on the ends, this will let attic heat into your home. If you have batts now, blowing in cellulose, or some other loose fill material over the top of them is the way to go. Never remove insulation that may be there now, anything is a help. Insulation is the cheapest, most effective way to save energy; make sure you have enough!