Is It Possible to Insulate an Old House & Is It Worth It?
Got an old drafty house with crazy high heating bills? You don’t have to live like that forever!
New insulation can make a huge difference in comfort and energy costs, especially if you don’t have much to begin with. You need the right approach to keep your home’s character intact, but adding insulation is entirely possible.
Here’s what we recommend at Sustainergy Cooperative, based on over a decade of experience insulating houses in the Greater Cincinnati area.
Tips for Insulating Your Old House
Start with an Energy Audit to Get Real Data
An energy audit gives you real data about your home’s insulation. It shows you what’s causing the problems you’re dealing with, like a boiling upstairs or a freezing bedroom, so you can put your budget toward improvements that will actually solve them.
When we run an energy audit for an old house in the Cincinnati, OH area, we get up into your attic and down into your crawl space so we can see:
How much insulation you have
What condition your insulation is in
Where the air leaks and gaps are
If there are moisture, mold, or pest issues
And so much more
We offer free energy assessments to get you started. Book today and find out where your house is losing energy.
2. Insulate & Air Seal Your Attic for the Fastest ROI
In most older houses, attic insulation and air sealing will give you the best and fastest return on your investment.
Older homes usually have old, compacted attic insulation that doesn’t work anymore. If that’s your situation, air sealing your attic and insulating it to the correct R-Value for your climate (R-50 to R-60 in Ohio) will pay for itself through energy bill savings in just a few years. It will also make your house a lot more comfortable.
3. Use Blown-In Insulation for Exterior Walls
Insulating exterior walls can be a game-changer for comfort, energy costs, and even noise levels in an old house.
But you have to be careful when insulating existing walls. If you don’t want to tear them down and make a huge expensive mess, blown-in cellulose insulation is the way to go.
Here’s how we add blown-in insulation to walls in an old house:
Drill small, 3-inch holes from either the inside or outside of your home
Insert an insulation hose and blow the material in until the correct R-value is reached
Repair the holes like they were never there
4. Air Seal Everywhere You Can
Air sealing is usually the fastest and most cost-effective way to cut down on heat loss in an old house.
That’s because old houses are leaky. They have gaps and cracks around:
Rim joists
Sill plates
Outlets
Attic hatches
Attic penetrations (wires, fans, lights etc.) and top plates
Chimney flues
and in many other areas that let air (and heat) flow in and out unchecked. In most houses, the amount of air leakage is equivalent to leaving a window open all year!
When we air seal, we apply caulk or foam to close the gaps, so your house isn’t hemorrhaging heated or cooled air.
5. Seal & Insulate Your Crawl Space
Crawl space encapsulation, which includes sealing and insulating it, can make a drastic impact on your entire home.
In the winter, cold air is sucked up through your crawl space and into your house, making it cold and drafty. In the summer, the reverse happens.
Crawl space encapsulation stops that from happening. It also protects your crawl space from moisture, mold, and pests, preventing rot and structural damage.
How Much of a Difference Will Insulation Make in an Old House?
Insulation makes a dramatic difference in old houses. It almost always pays for itself through energy bill savings. On top of that, it will make your house so much more comfortable.
At Least 15% Savings on Energy Bills - ENERGY STAR estimates that you can save at least 15% on heating and cooling costs with insulation and air sealing. We’ve seen much higher savings, especially for our customers living in older homes in Ohio.
Warmer and Less Drafty in Winter - Insulation and air sealing hold heat in and get rid of cold drafts so you can stop wearing three layers inside.
Cooler and Less Humid in Summer - Insulation doesn’t just work in the winter. It also blocks heat and humidity out during the summer.
Consistent Temperature Throughout the House - Good insulation and air sealing will get rid of hot and cold spots so your house is the same temperature in every room.
Quieter - If noise from traffic and neighbors comes right through the walls, insulation will help with sound attenuation
Don’t Skip the Most Important Step: Choosing the Right Insulation Company
Insulating an old house has a lot of benefits. But to get them, you need an insulation contractor who knows what they’re doing. The wrong approach could be devastating to your home and its character.
At Sustainergy Cooperative, we’ve been insulating houses in the Greater Cincinnati area since 2013. We’ve seen it all and tailor our approach to your home’s age, framing, design, and more. We concentrate on installing high-quality, high-impact solutions, not just flashy products.
Unlike most insulation companies, we’re worker owned. Our insulation installers go above and beyond because we’re personally invested in the outcome. Your success is our success!
