[MUSIC PLAYING] How're you doing? Hey. How are you? Wonderful. You find everything OK? Yeah. I just--my energy bill keeps going
up--winter, summer, doesn't matter. I think I need more insulation,
but I don't know much about it. Understandable. The main thing with insulation
is that your home should be insulated to a recommended R-factor. And this can be easily found
on actually energy.gov. There's a map on there that
shows you what's recommended for your particular climate. OK. All right. Great thing about what we
carry here at The Home Depot is that the R-factor, once you find
it, is listed on each of the products depending upon where you
actually want to install it. And it should be relatively
easy to decide what you need. OK.
Cool. You did mention again losing some heat-- Yeah. So let's start with the attic. OK. Great. Absolutely. So as heat rises, an
under-insulated attic will actually allow the heat
to go right out of your roof. So not only are you losing heat,
but you're also sucking cold air in through your windows and
doors, causing your house to be totally less efficient. OK. Well, how do I know if I have enough? A general rule of thumb is that
if you can see the ceiling joists, you need to add more. And if you can't see
the joists, then you need to make sure that you have
12 inches or more in the attic. OK. Good to know. Absolutely. Let me show you some options. Great. If you go with the
fiberglass option, there are three types for us to choose from-- rolled, pre-cut bats, or blown in. Since we're talking about
your attic, my suggestion would be for you to go with the rolled
option as it's better for larger areas. The pre-cut bats are
well-suited for walls because they come in eight-foot lengths,
which is a standard ceiling height. One thing to point out,
though, is that these come with or without a
craft paper facing, which can be used for a moisture barrier. So if you're adding this
to existing insulation, it's best to go with the unfaced. OK. So if I'm doing this myself, is
there anything I need to know? Any little tips for self installation? Absolutely. So for best results,
the additional layer should be laid perpendicular
to the ceiling joists to stop compression of the first layer. This will also help you to cover
up any gaps that you may have. All right. If you do have recessed lighting,
be sure that you don't lay that on top of the canned lights
unless those lights are rated for contact with the insulation. If indeed you do need to cut the
existing insulation that you're laying, this can be easily done
with a utility knife. Just make sure that you don't
stuff it in because it'll decrease the effectiveness of the insulation. OK. All right. One last thing just from a safety
standpoint, when utilizing fiberglass, be sure to wear goggles, gloves, long
pants, a long sleeved shirt, and even a dust mask. You don't want to expose
any skin to the fiberglass. Yeah, sure. That makes sense. Now tell me about the
blown in insulation. Sure. If you decide to go
the blow in route, you have a choice between cellulose, which
is made from recycled paper products, or fiberglass. Loose fill insulation can be
added to existing insulation, and it's really, really good in order
to get into tough spaces like attics or even crawl spaces. Either route you go,
you're going to need to use an insulation blowing machine,
which can be rented in any tool rental center at The Home Depot. OK. Great to know. Now that we've talked
about insulation, we also want to talk about proper air flow. These are rafter vents,
and they allow air to enter and exit through
the soffets in your eaves. They're easily installed
by stapling them to the roof decking right before
you actually install the insulation. Good. Now that we've got your
attic squared away, we don't want to forget
about the basement. Gaps love to form where different
building materials meet. A general rule of thumb is if the
gap is less than a quarter inch, then you can utilize caulk to fill it. And if it's larger than that, you
can utilize a foam insulation spray like this product. OK. And for insulating foundation
walls from the inside, the rigid foam board is really
going to be your best option. It comes in different sizes,
thicknesses, as well as R-factors. So if you think about it, once
you upgrade your insulation and check your windows
and doors for air leaks, you should really see some
noticeable differences in how comfortable your home is-- and not to mention, see your
heating and air costs go down. That's what I really want. Thank you so much. Absolutely. And thanks again for
shopping at The Home Depot. You bet. [MUSIC PLAYING]
