Dear Fellow Mustachians:
Happy 2015 to you all from Dallas Texas. I am enjoying a bit of paternity leave in February and March with my baby mustachia, and that means I will also be able to supervise some home improvement projects. The project that I decided to outsource was the replacement of my 35 year old leaky gutters (on a 57 year old 1,500 sq feet ranch house) and the rotting fascia that was falling off behind it. While I could have done some of the work myself, hanging gutters isn't something that I've done well in the past. I know my limits, and I’m paying to see someone do a better job than I could on a tricky project.
But, I’m still planning on some DIY projects in the attic. The previous owner kindly left me a record of his heating/ac bills from 2007 to 2012, and I have added my own data over the past few years. His annual bills ranged from $1,950 in 2007 to $1,214 by 2012, a drop attributed to installing new energy efficient windows in November 2011. Since we have owned the house, our energy bills have been around $750 per year. The attic currently has a HVAC air handler that leaks and needs to be sealed, an air duct system that apparently has never been cleaned, and insulation at a R-30 level. Since I’ve moved in I made an attic folding door/staircase blanket with an R-10 value.
I’m having my trustworthy HVAC person reseal the air handler and he is also installing a float switch for the system as a peace of mind. Here are my questions:
1) Should I spend some time sealing air gaps/leaks in the house? When I walk around some of the bedrooms it feels drafty by my recessed lighting. While I installed IC air tight housing units, I’m sure that there are gaps in various places-is it worth it to go around the attic finding the gaps? Some folks have recommended using caulk to seal the gaps, others have recommended using great stuff sealing. Also, should I get these recessed light covers for my 20 recessed lights (
http://www.amazon.com/Tenmat-FF130E-Recessed-Light-Cover/forum/Fx3MJFLG787SJO4/-/2/ref=cm_cd_ql_psf_ql_pg2?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B002XVPUAO&cdAnchor=B002XVPUAO&cdSort=best)
2) Adding more insulation to bring insulation up to R-50. Using the Department of Energy’s data, I would need to get 56 bags-I’d get an even 60-to bring the insulation up to this level at a cost of around $430 from Lowes. Some people have also recommended sealing the tops of the wall framing from the attic to prevent cold/hot air getting in-is that something that can be done easily?
3) The south side of my house only has three sofit vents all stacked on one side of the house. Might it be worth it to add three more sofit vents to increase ventilation in the attic? The room below the area where there are no sofit vents gets really hot in the summer
4) Are there any other attic projects that would be worth doing? My wife wants to get a Nest Thermostat, but I’m a bit skeptical about this paying for itself. It would look nice in the house….
I’m also doing some minor projects (such as repainting the front door and the window shutters, as well as insulating the water pipes in our crawl space), but the big one is for the attic. I appreciate any advice my fellow mustachians can provide!