Home Maintenance Monday 1/06/25: Home Insulation Check!

When was the last time you thought about your home's insulation? Like most things in your home, insulation doesn’t last forever. Over time, it can degrade, compress, or shift. If your insulation is old or damaged, it may be time for an upgrade. You may notice drafts or cold spots around your home, or a skyrocketing energy bill can also be an indication that it's time to check on your home's insulation. You might need to replace or top off insulation, especially if you’re seeing insulation gaps in areas like your attic or crawlspaces.

So, how do you know if your insulation is doing its job? Let’s take a quick tour of how to check your home's insulation and make sure it’s up to the task of keeping you warm this winter!

1. Inspect Your Attic

Most of the time, your attic is the first place to check. It’s where heat escapes in the winter and enters during the summer. If your attic insulation looks sparse or uneven, it might not be doing its job. Ideally, you should have 10 to 14 inches of insulation in your attic, depending on the material (fiberglass, cellulose, etc.).

What to Look For:

Gaps or spots where insulation is missing

Dampness or signs of mold (which could indicate leaks)

Compression of the insulation (this can reduce its effectiveness)

2. Examine Your Walls

Getting a direct look at your wall insulation can be a little tricky (unless you're doing major renovations and opening walls or looking in through the electrical wall plates). Many Home Inspection professionals use thermal imaging cameras to check for temperature changes across a wall, this is a high-tech way to spot weak spots in a home's insulation, but there are a couple other ways to assess how well your walls are insulated.

Signs Your Walls Insulation Need Extra Attention:

Check for cold or warm spots inside the house, especially in exterior walls.

Feel for cold or hot spots around the perimeter of rooms.

Keep an eye on your energy bills big spikes in heating or cooling costs could be an indication that your homes' insulation needs upgraded.

3. Check Around Windows and Doors

Back in November, we talked about weather-stripping. Even with great insulation in the walls and attic, poor window and door seals can still let energy slip right out. If you feel drafts or notice temperature differences near these areas, your insulation might not be the only culprit—your seals might need some attention too.

Pro Tip: Test your windows and doors for drafts by holding a candle or incense stick near the edges. If the smoke moves, you’ve got a draft!

4. Look at Your Energy Bills!

If you’ve noticed a sudden spike in your energy bills, that could be a sign that your insulation is no longer doing its job properly. Homes with poor insulation have to work harder to maintain temperature, so your heating/cooling systems run more often, leading to higher energy use.

5. People in colder climates or higher elevations can check for Ice Dams in when it Snows.

When you live in a colder climate with more snow, ice dams can form on your roof and these are a red flag that your attic insulation might be insufficient. An ice dam forms when heat from inside your house escapes into the attic, melting snow on the roof. The melted snow then refreezes at the eaves, creating an ice dam. Another thing to look out for when it snows is how fast does the snow on your roof melt relative to other roofs in your neighborhood. Sometimes you can identify a house with poor attic insulation when you look down a snowy street because all the other homes will have snow on their roofs but a home with poor attic insulation, with more significant heat loss will have the snow melted off of their roof before better insulated homes nearby. Have you noticed any houses like this when it snows?

Good insulation is the unsung hero of your home's comfort, whether you're braving the winter chill or gearing up for the summer heat, your home's insulation keeps your indoor temperature just right, lowering energy bills, and helping to protect your investment for the long-term. Maintaining your home’s insulation can seem like an afterthought, but when you’re saving money on energy bills and staying cozy throughout the seasons, you’ll appreciate the effort you put into it. Plus, it’s one of those small maintenance tasks that can help your home stay in tip-top shape for years to come!

If you’re unsure about how to handle insulation repairs or upgrades, don’t hesitate to call in a professional to inspect and recommend solutions, but I always recommend getting quotes from more than 1 professional! (3-5 quotes is BEST! And tell me about it if someone is giving you a great deal!)

Until next time, happy home maintaining! 🏡✨

P.S. If you're considering upgrading your insulation, check for any local rebates or tax credits—sometimes energy efficiency improvements come with some nice perks!