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Posted by Dan Shockley on Tuesday, February 03, 2009 at 23:47:50 :
In Reply to: OT: Insulated the garage ceiling, Payback looks good posted by Keith in Washington on Monday, February 02, 2009 at 19:20:04 :
When we lived in MS, we bought 2400 sq ft home that had a history of really high utility bills > $500/month. Within a couple days of moving in we discovered that the previous owners had let their cat run around in the attic (there was no garage ceiling). Their utility bills had climbed and climbed until they were forced to sell.
A trip into the attic revealed that the cat was to blame. All the existing insulation was matted down from traffic (less than 1" in many places) and there were several ducts that had been opened up by the curious little pest. This included a 2' hole in the cold air return. We fixed these items, insulated the garage and installed wallboard and ceiling and blew in 15" in the entire attic. Within one month the bill was down to $100 and averaged about $120/month the whole time we were there. Payback was only a couple months.
It is amazing what some small issues with insulation and HVAC equipment can cost you if they go unchecked. And, how quickly repairs can pay for themselves.
Dan