Owning an older home is a lot like owning an older vehicle. While it doesn’t have the features or comforts of its modern counterparts, the right upgrades can make it perform better than it did the day it was built.
Plus, Clark Public Utilities may be able to help make the investment more affordable.
Old homes aren’t as energy efficient as ones built after 1990. Stricter building codes, along with changes in building sciences and material technologies mean newer houses stay at a desired temperature longer while using less energy than older homes do.
The difference mainly comes down to insulation.
Newer homes are framed with two-by-six studs spaced at 16 inches on center, while most pre-1990 homes were built with two-by-fours at 12 inches on center. Thicker walls mean more room for insulation. Fewer studs mean fewer thermal bridges for heat to cross into where it’s not supposed to be.
Not only were homes built with less space for insulation, but builders didn’t often didn’t prioritize installing it. As any professional remodeler can probably tell you, old attics, floors and walls all may be insulated, but to different degrees from one home to the next.
Homes built before the 70s might have little to no insulation in the walls or floor, but a decent layer in the attic.
Fortunately, inadequate insulation is pretty easily remedied, and offers some of the best investment to return value of any home improvement project.
With a little hard work and some simple tools, a handy homeowner can add insulation to the attic or the floor in an afternoon or two. While the DIYer might save some money on installation, it’s often worth at least considering services from a professional. Contractors often have better insulation solutions than what a DIYer can achieve, address all safety aspects of the project, and, they can provide crucial air sealing services as part of their bids.
“Air leaks are constantly working against the heating or cooling system, and old homes are full of them,” said Energy Services Supervisor DuWayne Dunham. “Many contractors offer air sealing and insulation at the same time, together they will really improve a home’s energy performance.”
Even if they’re well insulated, older homes tend to heat up quickly in the summer, that’s often because the attic is poorly ventilated. A good insulation contractor will take ventilation into account and modern standards as part of a job.
“People often say heat rises, when actually it’s warm air that rises, heat expands and will move in any direction to heat cooler spaces,” Dunham said. “So on a hot summer day, when an attic can easily reach upwards of 160 degrees, that heat is going to make its way down into the cooler living spaces — unless it’s adequately ported outside.”
Adding insulation to the walls is typically too technical for most DIYers. But, for an insulation contractor, it’s just another day on the job. They boost a wall’s insulation by removing a little exterior siding, cutting or drilling a small hole in the wall, then blowing in the insulation until the wall is packed tight. Other companies use a specially formulated spray-in foam insulation, which is more efficient but also more expensive.
Older homes also run the risk of having asbestos in the insulation. While, not threatening if left alone, asbestos can be very harmful to human health if disturbed. Removing it should only be done by a professional.
After meeting some qualification, Clark Public Utilities customers, who own an electrically heated home, may can qualify for a rebate of $0.40, $0.50 and $1.20 per square foot on attic, floor and wall insulation, respectively. That’s between 10 percent and 20 percent off a job.
Contact us at 360-992-3355 ecod@clarkpud.com to discuss insulation projects and to learn more about rebates.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
