In previous blogs I have stated that foam is a superior product for air sealing and that using spray foam as your insulation system can really have a huge impact on energy conservation within your home. It has been documented that in the typical home, enough air escapes each day to fill two Goodyear blimps. Because spray foam performs differently than conventional insulation, air flow is stopped at the attic plane and your utility dollars are spent conditioning your home, not the neighborhood around you.
Today I am going to show you the money with a real life testimonial. This is a home that we have followed over the course of a year since insulating the attic with Icynene spray foam insulation. This home is a 6800 sq ft home, housing a family of five. The average monthly utility bill was $390.37 based on information gathered from the homeowner's actual utility bills. I like to use this home as an example because prior to insulating with spray foam, this home had a loose fill fiber glass insulation blown to an R-44. The recommended level in this region for a loose fill blown in fiberglass similar to the insulation present in this home is an R-38 so it is safe to say that this home was above the recommended level and already well insulated. But take a look at what spray foam did for this homeowner.
After removing the fiberglass and applying spray foam to the deck in the attic the homeowners were able to reduce their monthly utilitiy bill an average of 34% over the course of a 12 month period, saving $1575.92 for the first year or, approximately, $131.00 per month. It would have been ideal had the builder insulated with spray foam when the home was built. The savings would have been immediate, but it is never too late to make this decision. With the cost of removal and the application of spray foam, this treatment will have paid for itself in a little over 3 years if the savings remain constant each year.
Utility Costs for 6,800 square foot home for a family of five.
These homeowners had a sense that they were paying too much for utilities.This visual reinforces that, although this home was well insulated to begin with, complete air sealing with spray foam was the answer to their high utility bills. This is the before and after on their utility costs.
The one thing that we cannot stress enough in our business is that preventing the loss of air at the roof line of your home is where you should begin if you want to conserve energy and make an impact on those utility bills. When the airflow is stopped your insulation and HVAC system can then work together and you should see some real changes take place.