It\u2019s\u00a0getting cool again, and before long most of Canada will become cold enough to\u00a0kill you. And while your house will almost certainly keep you alive this\u00a0winter, the cold, cruel blast will likely do damage to your finances and your\u00a0comfort level. Ask yourself this: how much will winter have to cost, or how\u00a0cold will your toes have to get, before you decide to do something to keep as\u00a0much of the heat you pay for inside your home?<\/p>\n
Insulation\u00a0is your main defense against winter, of course, but it comes with a lot of\u00a0questions. Where should it go? What kind should you use? How much will it cost? There\u2019s still time before winter arrives to build defenses around your pocket\u00a0book and your extremities by installing more insulation, and the process is\u00a0simpler than it seems. All you need to remember is this simple phrase: \u201cAt\u00a0least 22 up top\u201d.<\/p>\n
Of\u00a0all the places to apply more insulation in a home, attics usually offer the\u00a0biggest bang for the buck. No location is easier and faster to upgrade, and the\u00a0attic insulation industry is mature, well equipped and experienced enough to do\u00a0a good job in a short time. Investing less than $1000 and hiring a professional\u00a0for a few hours could result in significant cost savings to heat and cool many\u00a0Canadian homes \u2013 year after year. While it\u2019s true that some homes need extra\u00a0insulation in walls, basements, and floors, more likely than not, boosting\u00a0attic insulation is the lowest hanging fruit on the tree.<\/p>\n
So\u00a0how much attic insulation is enough? As much as you can afford. I disagree with\u00a0the experts who believe there\u2019s an upper limit for attic insulation. I\u2019ve seen\u00a0many super-insulated houses that use tiny amounts of energy with R60, R70, and\u00a0even R90 in the attic. Minimum levels of attic insulation vary across the\u00a0country, but if there\u2019s anything less than 22\u201d of depth on the floor of your\u00a0attic, you need more. You should have at least R60 up top, but as I said, more\u00a0is better.<\/p>\n
It\u00a0goes without saying that everyone wants to spend less money to heat their\u00a0homes. Governments and utility companies across Canada want to help make things\u00a0as affordable as possible, so they have introduced financial incentives and\u00a0rebates to help reduce the energy consumption of Canadian homes, including\u00a0programs for insulation upgrades. Trouble is, it\u2019s not easy to discover what\u00a0kind of programs are available, when they\u2019re available, and how to apply. Provinces\u00a0and utility companies each offer different programs. New incentives show up and\u00a0old ones disappear at any time of the year. Getting free money for home\u00a0insulation is not as simple as it may seem, and that\u2019s why a one-stop source\u00a0for a Canada-wide home insulation incentives program was created.<\/p>\n
This\u00a0past summer, NAIMA Canada, an association representing Canadian insulation\u00a0manufacturers, launched an online tool for\u00a0discovering how to get financial help insulating homes, businesses and\u00a0institutions. After clicking on the type of building you\u2019ve got, the province\u00a0it\u2019s in, and perhaps the utility company that provides you with service, you\u2019ll\u00a0then get a detailed list of all the programs available to you, with clickable\u00a0links, email addresses and phone numbers that will help you find more\u00a0information and sign up. There\u2019s never been anything else like this online\u00a0information database in the country, and it\u2019s constantly updated as programs\u00a0change.<\/p>\n
Insulation\u00a0may not be top of mind when deciding which home improvement upgrades you\u2019ll\u00a0invest in, but it\u2019s one of the wisest for improving the energy performance of\u00a0your home by keeping the heat indoors. Not only will it help make your home\u00a0cozier, but it will also help you save money so you can afford other things in\u00a0life \u2013 especially if you are provided with free money from the government or\u00a0your utility company.<\/p>\n
All it comes down to is something as simple as \u201cat least 22\u00a0up top.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s\u00a0getting cool again, and before long most of Canada will become cold enough to\u00a0kill you. And while your house will almost certainly keep you alive this\u00a0winter, the cold, cruel blast will likely do damage to your finances and your\u00a0comfort level. Ask yourself this: how much will winter have to cost, or how\u00a0cold will your toes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[75,19,81,82,83,80,52,84,79,78,77,76],"class_list":["post-900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home-owner","category-uncategorized","tag-deep-energy-retrofits","tag-energy-efficiency","tag-energy-efficient-home","tag-financial-incentives","tag-grants","tag-home-projects","tag-insulation","tag-rebates","tag-reinsulate","tag-reno","tag-renos","tag-renovations"],"yoast_head":"\n