Your attic could be costing you money!

   In my travels I see a lot of attics and the one thing they all have in common is the attic access. In Texas the attics for the most part are big enough to store boxes and Christmas stuff. The one thing most significant that folks don't realize is that access is one of the reasons the house or the room where it is located it hotter in the summer and colder in the winter.
 Most all attics I go into the access is missing insulation over it, this means energy leak big time! People ask me so how do I keep the insulation on the lid? I know every time you go into the attic it's a pain in the butt because the insulation gets in the way or when you close the lid it does not stay on or completely cover it. One way is to purchase a insulated cover, there are many types on the market some are like a tent that zipper open and close other are of a solid core insulated foam.
    A lot of people ask me about doing these things your self. I refer to it as DIY, which for some things around the house is fine. When it comes to simple things such as wasted energy most people think well if I seal all the holes I can find and pile up the insulation in the attic and install a access cover that will solve or a least make my home feel better and save me some money... right? to be very clear...WRONG!
 You can do more damage than good and in some rare cases put you and your family in danger if you seal your home up to tight and do not allow it to complete what is called air changes. I,ll save the danger side for another blog. In a nut shell have your home audited by a certified BPI or HERS auditor that uses a blower door test. This will pin point the leaks in your home both visible and non and true trouble spots including that attic access. What is great about these test is they also can give you a report of what is needed and where it is needed to make your home perform and be energy efficient. Stay tuned as I will be touching on more information about home energy performance in my upcoming blogs.