Insulation Guide
To insulate or not to insulate? | How does your home's insulation level measure up? | The program that pays | Hitting home | Start saving today
How to keep your savings from slipping through the cracks
In every home, heat and humidity leak in during the summer and escape in the winter through the ceilings, windows and doors.
The good news is, there are simple ways to make your home more comfortable to live in and affordable to cool and heat.
Some of the most effective ways to increase efficiency and trim costs include
- ceiling insulation
- window shading and
- sealing cracks around doors and windows.
This guide provides ways to prevent major energy loss in your home, and shows you how FPL can help: Keep the heat out and the savings in.
Quick Tip: The insulating power or "R-value" referred to throughout this guide measures the insulation's ability to keep cool air in the house in the summer and warm air in the house in the winter. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation.
To insulate or not to insulate?
Homes built after 1982 are required to have R-19 ceiling insulation, which is the level that FPL recommends. However, if your home was built before 1982, you may benefit from adding insulation.
Adding ceiling insulation to your home can result in significant savings. The chart below illustrates how much you can save if you need to increase the level of insulation in your home.
Home Type
| Savings*
|
2-3 bedroom home 1,200 - 1,800 square feet |
$75 to $112 per year |
Top-floor apartment or condominium |
About $30 per year |
*Note: Adding R-19 ceiling insulation to an uninsulated home with energy costs of $0.12 per kwh. Actual savings will vary. |
FPL recommends the following levels of R-19 insulation for your home to ensure maximum efficiency:
Insulation Type
| Recommended Level
|
Fiberglass (loose)
|
8.75 inches |
Fiberglass (blanket)
|
6.25 inches |
Cellulose
|
5 inches |
How does your home's insulation level measure up?
The best way to determine if your home needs more insulation is by age.
If your home was built before 1982, chances are you need to add insulation, so click here to see if your home qualifies and request an appointment for a free FPL Home Energy Survey.
If you are handy, an optional step is to go into your attic with a ruler and measure the depth of the insulation at the attic entry (this is only necessary if your home was built before 1982). Once you have the measurement, compare it to the chart below.
Type of insulation in your home
| Add insulation if you have less than:
|
Fiberglass (loose)
Pink or white with a loose, coarse texture |
5 inches |
Fiberglass (blanket)
Paper-backed blankets also have their R-value printed on. |
3.5 inches |
Cellulose
Gray with a fine, soft texture. |
3 inches |
If your level of insulation is...
| Then...
|
less than the levels listed on the chart above |
You should add insulation to your home and ask about FPL's Building Envelope program. |
greater than the levels listed above |
FPL does not recommend adding insulation in this case, as it will take too long to pay for itself and FPL would not be able to provide an incentive. |
The program that pays
If you've determined that your home would benefit from increased insulation based on age or measurement, FPL can help you pay for the upgrade through the FPL Building Envelope Program. Just follow these simple steps:
Step
| Action
|
1 |
Click here to see if your home qualifies and request an appointment for free FPL Home Energy Survey. |
2 |
An FPL Energy Expert will come to your home. We will measure your insulation to see if you need more. If you do, FPL will give you an incentive up to 11 cents per square foot. |
3 |
Redeem your FPL incentive through any FPL Participating Independent Contractor. We will provide you with a list of contractors while we're at your home. |
It's that easy! So don't waste any more energy or money. Schedule your FPL Home Energy Survey today.
Hitting home
How much can you save by adding insulation through the FPL Building Envelope Program? Here's an example:
If you previously had no insulation in your 1,800-square-foot home and then upgraded to R-19, your FPL incentive would be $300. And at $0.12/kWh, your annual energy savings would be approximately $112 per year. Taking into account your out-of-pocket expenses the insulation would pay for itself in about three years!
Start saving today
Visit FPL's Online
Home Energy Survey to see how making the Building Envelope improvements
covered in this guide can affect your bill.
|
