I live in NYS and our house is almost 50 years old. After the original
owners bought the house they had a second story put on the house. The
second story seems very poorly insulated. In the winter I can put my hand
on the upstairs bedroom ceilings (or hallways) and feel cold. Similarly if
I do that in the summer I can feel warmth from the sun. The upstairs
furnace runs constantly in winter and the upstairs central a/c also runs
constantly during the summer.

The main floor also seems poorly insulated and our walk-in closet of the
master bedroom (corner of house) is like an icebox each winter. We need to
leave the closet door open to be able to use it in the mornings (of course
this cools and drafts the bedroom but we have little choice).

Do you think the wall insulation is either old, settled, insufficient,
non-existent, or other?
Should I enlist in a home energy audit and would they be able to recommend
an action I could take? Where do I find reliable, reputable people who do
these audits?

Thanks,
Walter

"news.optonline.net" wrote in message
Do you think the wall insulation is either old, settled, insufficient,
non-existent, or other?
Should I enlist in a home energy audit and would they be able to recommend
an action I could take? Where do I find reliable, reputable people who do
these audits?

To answer the first question, yes, it may be non-existent. Sometimes you
can peek in between an electrical box and the plaster and see if there is
anything in the wall. Or drill a small hole that is easily patched.

Your local utility company may offer an energy audit a low or no cost.
Check their web site of give them a call.

"news.optonline.net" wrote in message
...
I live in NYS and our house is almost 50 years old. After the original
owners bought the house they had a second story put on the house. The
second story seems very poorly insulated. In the winter I can put my hand
on the upstairs bedroom ceilings (or hallways) and feel cold. Similarly
if
I do that in the summer I can feel warmth from the sun. The upstairs
furnace runs constantly in winter and the upstairs central a/c also runs
constantly during the summer.

The main floor also seems poorly insulated and our walk-in closet of the
master bedroom (corner of house) is like an icebox each winter. We need
to
leave the closet door open to be able to use it in the mornings (of course
this cools and drafts the bedroom but we have little choice).

Do you think the wall insulation is either old, settled, insufficient,
non-existent, or other?
Should I enlist in a home energy audit and would they be able to recommend
an action I could take? Where do I find reliable, reputable people who do
these audits?

The is unlikely to be any wall insulation. The first thing to do is a visual
inspection of the attic insullation. This is the cheapest and most effective
place to start insulating.

Check with your heating energy provider about audits.

Bob

On Tue, 13 Mar 2007 22:24:25 -0400, "news.optonline.net"
wrote:

I live in NYS and our house is almost 50 years old. After the original
owners bought the house they had a second story put on the house. The
second story seems very poorly insulated. In the winter I can put my hand
on the upstairs bedroom ceilings (or hallways) and feel cold. Similarly if
I do that in the summer I can feel warmth from the sun. The upstairs
furnace runs constantly in winter and the upstairs central a/c also runs
constantly during the summer.

The main floor also seems poorly insulated and our walk-in closet of the
master bedroom (corner of house) is like an icebox each winter. We need to
leave the closet door open to be able to use it in the mornings (of course
this cools and drafts the bedroom but we have little choice).

Do you think the wall insulation is either old, settled, insufficient,
non-existent, or other?
Should I enlist in a home energy audit and would they be able to recommend
an action I could take? Where do I find reliable, reputable people who do
these audits?

Thanks,
Walter


Have you gotten to look in your attic?


tom @ www.MedJobSite.com

If you plan to live in this house forever...

Seal all air leaks.
Install double pane "Energy Star" windows.
Insulate the heck out of everything. Very thick insulation in attic.

Energy rates are not going down....

More tips...
http://www.energystar.gov

On Mar 13, 10:24 pm, "news.optonline.net" wrote:
I live in NYS and our house is almost 50 years old. After the original
owners bought the house they had a second story put on the house. The
second story seems very poorly insulated. In the winter I can put my hand
on the upstairs bedroom ceilings (or hallways) and feel cold. Similarly if
I do that in the summer I can feel warmth from the sun. The upstairs
furnace runs constantly in winter and the upstairs central a/c also runs
constantly during the summer.

The main floor also seems poorly insulated and our walk-in closet of the
master bedroom (corner of house) is like an icebox each winter. We need to
leave the closet door open to be able to use it in the mornings (of course
this cools and drafts the bedroom but we have little choice).

Do you think the wall insulation is either old, settled, insufficient,
non-existent, or other?
Should I enlist in a home energy audit and would they be able to recommend
an action I could take? Where do I find reliable, reputable people who do
these audits?

Thanks,
Walter

skip the audit, you already did it. hire the insulation company.
buffalo NY: Urban Insulation, ask for Brian Fiedler.
he's our insulation guy. very experienced.
we choose the floor of the attic and all exterior walls of course, but
also like to add interior wall insulation in every dividing wall
including stairwells which adds a new level of comfort and quiet. the
floor of the attic is the ceiling of the living room and we want each
room of the house to have insulation in every direction possible. be
careful about correctly insulating basement ceilings to avoid basement
pipes freezing.

On Tue, 13 Mar 2007 22:24:25 -0400, someone wrote:

Do you think the wall insulation is either old, settled, insufficient,
non-existent, or other?

Yes.


Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

On Mar 14, 2:43?pm, (v) wrote:
On Tue, 13 Mar 2007 22:24:25 -0400, someone wrote:
Do you think the wall insulation is either old, settled, insufficient,
non-existent, or other?

Yes.

Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

Check for K&T BEFORE insulating its designed to work in free air.

DO elecxtrical upgrades before insulating, way easier to snake wires
in walls with no insulation

The small walk-in attic, which is unfinished, has previous owner-installed
foil-faced insulation batts pressed up into the rafters of the roof
underside. This unfinished attic is adjacent to a finished bedroom,
bathroom, and a patio overhang. All these walls/ceiling (roof really) have
this foil-faced insulation on them (foil facing inside to the attic).
Not sure why the previous owner did it this way - maybe he had ideas of
finishing the attic at some later date, which he never did. The floor of
the attic is also covered with plywood (over the rafters).
The attic also has one small double-hung window at the end, which I always
keep open for ventilation.

Walter
"Just Joshin" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Mar 2007 22:24:25 -0400, "news.optonline.net"
wrote:

I live in NYS and our house is almost 50 years old. After the original
owners bought the house they had a second story put on the house. The
second story seems very poorly insulated. In the winter I can put my hand
on the upstairs bedroom ceilings (or hallways) and feel cold. Similarly
if
I do that in the summer I can feel warmth from the sun. The upstairs
furnace runs constantly in winter and the upstairs central a/c also runs
constantly during the summer.

The main floor also seems poorly insulated and our walk-in closet of the
master bedroom (corner of house) is like an icebox each winter. We need
to
leave the closet door open to be able to use it in the mornings (of course
this cools and drafts the bedroom but we have little choice).

Do you think the wall insulation is either old, settled, insufficient,
non-existent, or other?
Should I enlist in a home energy audit and would they be able to recommend
an action I could take? Where do I find reliable, reputable people who do
these audits?

Thanks,
Walter


Have you gotten to look in your attic?


tom @ www.MedJobSite.com