Insulation Upgrades for Older Minnesota Homes
If your home was built before 1980, your walls probably hold R-11 and your attic somewhere around R-19. Modern code calls for R-49 in attics. Here's how to close the gap without gutting the house.
Attics: easiest, biggest impact
Attic floors can usually be brought to R-49+ by air sealing the ceiling plane and adding blown-in cellulose or fiberglass over the existing material. One day's work, no demolition, often the largest single energy savings of any upgrade.
Walls: dense-pack from the outside or inside
Older walls can be filled with dense-pack cellulose through small holes drilled in siding or interior drywall. The holes are patched, and the wall now has both insulation and air-sealing without major remodeling.
Don't forget the basement
Rim joists are usually the worst-performing part of an older Minnesota home. Spray-foaming them is fast, cheap, and dramatically reduces cold-floor problems on the main level.
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