[DonnaDay]

There is no insulation whatsoever in my attic. I was wondering what kind of energy savings I would see if I insulated it. Does insulation make a difference in hot weather, or is it mainly cold weather? I live in a hot area, so warmer weather is the main concern. My home is brick, about 700 s.f. What would it cost to insulate the attic (for materials)? Do you only insulate the floor of the attic?

Also, my attic is vented on both ends with just metal vent-type things up near the roof. Is this good or bad? They don't open or close (they're just plain metal vents, always open), so I was wondering if they are supposed to be closed up in the winter? I was also wondering if I should instrall any other type of venting, like one of those turbine things (looks like a chefs hat:p ). My house is super hot in the summer and doesn't seem to "let go" of the heat very well (like when it cools off overnight, the house remains HOT ). Anything I can do about this?

I thought my home would be much more efficient because it's so small (700 s.f.), built well out of brick, has shade trees, etc. but it is far from efficient in both summer and winter. All tips would be appreciated! Thanks!

[glavine]

It Will Be Worth The Money To Insulate, I Can't Say How Much But I Do Know A Bag Of Insulation Of R 30 Is Around 60 Bucks Maybe Less Depending On Where You Get It, The Cheapest Way Is To Hire A Insualtion Company, Often They Can Install It Cheaper Than You Can Buy It And Install It Yourself,
As For How It Works, It Is For Both Climates, When Its Hot And You Have The Air On It Helps Keep The Cool In, When It Cold Outside And The Heats On It Keeps The Heat In,
As For The Vents Those Are Fine, Its For Cross Ventilation, This Helps Save Your Roof From Getting To Hot And Damaging The Shingles.

[MOWERMAN2468]

If you are a doit yourselfer, you can purchase the insulation at Lowe's. And I believe you can still rent the blower unit at Lowe's as well. If you do this yourself, it will take one person at the unit with it running and feeding the hopper. And one person in the attic with a respirator, or at least some type of mask and safety goggles, blowing the insulation. You only want to blow it to the edge of the ceiling. And not out to the soffit area (area past wall) and blow it anywhere from 6 to 9 inches deep. You will see a very great reduction in your energy costs.