Icicles, Icicles Everywhere

You can’t pass by many homes and buildings this winter without noticing the beautiful Ice sculptures hanging off the roof and gutters.

They are truly magnificent to look at. I was admiring my own beauties one evening this past week when I noticed something strange. How was it possible for the icicles to continue to drip when it was after the sun had gone down and the temperature was around 19 degrees? I soon realized that this could only mean one thing – not enough insulation in my attic! The warm cozy air in my house was escaping through the roof and causing the snow on top to melt and form icicles down below. Here are some tips to make sure you’re not losing heat through the attic.

1. Make sure you have enough insulation on the attic floor. The experts recommend at least 16 inches of fiber glass batt insulation or 20 inches of blown insulation.
2. If you have AC vents that go through the attic– close them. If you can’t manually close them then you can purchase inexpensive magnetic covers that will stick to them and seal them off.
3. If you have pull down attic stairs you need to insulate the opening. This was a difficult task to master until Owens Corning came out with an insulated tent that is flexible, light and can be re-positioned very easily. It covers the opening in the attic and prevents heat from escaping.

You can check out some other energy saving tips in a previous post titled 10 Tips to save you money on your heating this winter.