How to Keep Your House Warm on a Budget

LESLIE: With the colder weather approaching, Al in New York needs some help winterizing his home. Tell us about it.

AL: Well, it’s the end of the summer; we’re getting into that season now where it’s getting cold at night. And I was just wondering if you had any budget-friendly ways I could maybe save some costs and keep my house warm this winter.

TOM: Well, it all comes down to priorities, Al. And the first place that I would look in any house that I wanted to reduce heating costs on is the attic. And I would be measuring how much insulation you have up there. Now, do you know how much you have right now?

AL: Right now, it’s probably only 6 to 8 inches.

TOM: So, perfect. This is where you want to start. What you really want to have up there is about 19 inches – 19 to 20 inches – of insulation. There’s a new insulation product out right now that’s available at Home Depot called EcoSmart and it’s made by Owens Corning. And it’s a very user-friendly insulation. The way they create the stuff, it kind of looks like cotton candy. It’s easy to handle, easy to install.

I want you to get more insulation and lay it perpendicular to the existing insulation. You’re going to almost triple the amount of insulation that you have in that attic right now. You will see an immediate reduction in your heating bills. If you did nothing else, I would add insulation. It’s very inexpensive and incredibly effective.

AL: Wow, that’s a great tip. Thank you very much.