ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The heat this summer may have you looking for ways to decrease the temperature in your house, along with your utility bill.
5 On Your Side crawled up into the attic to help you keep your cool.
Jennifer Burke, with Koala Insulation, had her tape measure out in the attic of Michael and Ann Shea’s home in St. Charles County.
“They’ve got about 14 inches of insulation, I would say, at best,” said Burke.
“We noticed in our upstairs area it’s always hot, as opposed to our downstairs area, which is cool,” Ann said.
“A brand-new house that was built maybe 10 years ago may only have seven inches of insulation. Well, now you need between 14 and 17 inches,” Burke said.
The bottom line is your utility bill, right? So, 5 On Your Side asked Burke – how much can a person expect to save if you make sure you’ve got an adequate amount of insulation in your attic?
“I can’t really give a percentage,” said Burke. “It all depends. I can say from personal experience in my own home – it was a 50% reduction in my energy bill. But I only had an inch of insulation and I added 16 more inches, which makes it 17. My utility bill was cut in half.”
“I hate being hot, and my home office is upstairs. So, last summer about this time, whenever it got hot and humid, it would not get below 80 degrees up there,” Debbie Newton, another St. Charles County resident, said.
That prompted Newton to get additional insulation and a solar fan in her attic. Burke said a solar fan is mounted on your roof or gables and uses power from the sun to extract hot air out of your attic, so there is no operational cost.
“Any time your attic reaches 85 degrees, it kicks on,” said Burke. “It contains a thermostat, and it just sucks hot air out and runs pretty much all summer long. In the wintertime, it pulls out humidity.”
Solar fans retail for $300-$400, but that does not include installation.
5 On Your Side got three different bids for a project to add insulation to an attic in a 1,400 square foot home in St. Louis County, and they ranged from $1800-$2400.
Energy Star provides guidance on the topic of insulation.