The unofficial online home for fans of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Our home energy costs spike heavily between December and February (even more than most people). My neighborhood does not have a gas utility, so we use electric heat which isn't very efficient in the winter, but fairly efficient in cooling mode during summer months.

Has anyone had luck with the foam insulating guys I always hear about on the radio? Is it worth the up front investment? Any other pro tips? I'm not convinced that replacing my windows will make that much of a difference.

How old is your house?

And how long do you plan to stay in your current house?

Don't know if you have Duke, they used to come out to the home and give a free energy evaluation... if not, maybe your supplier has something similar.

https://www.duke-energy.com/home/product...20121039:s

I've only had insulation blown into the attic on a house we used to own, never in walls. Never had to replace windows.

They might be able to give you a % savings estimate, then you can analyze it with the costs.

Hope it all works out for you.

(09-20-2017 06:34 AM)jarr Wrote:  Our home energy costs spike heavily between December and February (even more than most people). My neighborhood does not have a gas utility, so we use electric heat which isn't very efficient in the winter, but fairly efficient in cooling mode during summer months.

Has anyone had luck with the foam insulating guys I always hear about on the radio? Is it worth the up front investment? Any other pro tips? I'm not convinced that replacing my windows will make that much of a difference.

I'm in the same boat as you. A heat pump in a Cincinnati winter is absolutely brutal. Best advice is to have a home energy audit done and they can at least point out your biggest problem areas and biggest bang for your buck. I went from R-5 to R-64 in our attic (blow in) and I recovered that cost in one year due to how much heating costs in the winter. Replacing windows are expensive and the incremental savings won't come close to paying you back - that's more for aesthetics (unless you have 100 year old windows). Things like filling gaps around pipes (or any opening in the house), making sure you have a tight seal on your front door, etc. will give you more bang for your buck.

(09-20-2017 06:49 AM)BeerCat Wrote:  How old is your house?

31 years

(09-20-2017 07:34 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  And how long do you plan to stay in your current house?

Probably about another 10-12 years.

(09-20-2017 08:33 AM)Racinejake Wrote:  

(09-20-2017 06:34 AM)jarr Wrote:  Our home energy costs spike heavily between December and February (even more than most people). My neighborhood does not have a gas utility, so we use electric heat which isn't very efficient in the winter, but fairly efficient in cooling mode during summer months.

Has anyone had luck with the foam insulating guys I always hear about on the radio? Is it worth the up front investment? Any other pro tips? I'm not convinced that replacing my windows will make that much of a difference.

I'm in the same boat as you. A heat pump in a Cincinnati winter is absolutely brutal. Best advice is to have a home energy audit done and they can at least point out your biggest problem areas and biggest bang for your buck. I went from R-5 to R-64 in our attic (blow in) and I recovered that cost in one year due to how much heating costs in the winter. Replacing windows are expensive and the incremental savings won't come close to paying you back - that's more for aesthetics (unless you have 100 year old windows). Things like filling gaps around pipes (or any opening in the house), making sure you have a tight seal on your front door, etc. will give you more bang for your buck.

Thanks for the tips. Sounds like I need to get an expert in to tell me my weak areas. You're right about caulking and sealing too. I went around when I first moved in thinking I had everything sealed, but it is probably time to re-address those issues.

(09-21-2017 05:41 AM)jarr Wrote:  

(09-20-2017 07:34 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  And how long do you plan to stay in your current house?

Probably about another 10-12 years.

In that case, you'd easily make your money back on insulation adjustments. As many on here have said, I would highly recommend having an energy audit done on your home to see your biggest issues...judging by the age of your house, I would think the only issues would be windows or proper roof/attic/terminal wall insulation. Have you had your HVAC updated in the last 10 or so years? You're probably due soon if not.

(09-21-2017 07:26 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(09-21-2017 05:41 AM)jarr Wrote:  

(09-20-2017 07:34 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  And how long do you plan to stay in your current house?

Probably about another 10-12 years.

In that case, you'd easily make your money back on insulation adjustments. As many on here have said, I would highly recommend having an energy audit done on your home to see your biggest issues...judging by the age of your house, I would think the only issues would be windows or proper roof/attic/terminal wall insulation. Have you had your HVAC updated in the last 10 or so years? You're probably due soon if not.

Unless whoever built the house made a big mistake with the insulation I don't think it would be a big issue. I agree about having a pro come out and check it.

You are lucky, my house was built in 1960. Brick on cinder block with furring strips and plaster. Zero insulation.

This winter's experiments is this puppy.


I had a couple of massive maples cut down a couple years ago and kept all the wood, may as well put it to use.

(09-21-2017 08:51 AM)BeerCat Wrote:  

(09-21-2017 07:26 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(09-21-2017 05:41 AM)jarr Wrote:  

(09-20-2017 07:34 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  And how long do you plan to stay in your current house?

Probably about another 10-12 years.

In that case, you'd easily make your money back on insulation adjustments. As many on here have said, I would highly recommend having an energy audit done on your home to see your biggest issues...judging by the age of your house, I would think the only issues would be windows or proper roof/attic/terminal wall insulation. Have you had your HVAC updated in the last 10 or so years? You're probably due soon if not.

Unless whoever built the house made a big mistake with the insulation I don't think it would be a big issue. I agree about having a pro come out and check it.

You are lucky, my house was built in 1960. Brick on cinder block with furring strips and plaster. Zero insulation.

This winter's experiments is this puppy.


I had a couple of massive maples cut down a couple years ago and kept all the wood, may as well put it to use.

Yikes...that's my nightmare. I'm very partial to certain neighborhoods up here in Toledo, and many are older internal masonry, and I know I'll run into the same issues.

As far as insulation concerns, the only issue tends to crop up if insulation wasn't properly installed at the roof level. Terminal walls are pretty hard to miss when it comes to insulation, but some homes built in the late 80's/early 90's weren't as liberal with their above head insulation in order to save money on construction costs.

(09-21-2017 10:34 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(09-21-2017 08:51 AM)BeerCat Wrote:  

(09-21-2017 07:26 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(09-21-2017 05:41 AM)jarr Wrote:  

(09-20-2017 07:34 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  And how long do you plan to stay in your current house?

Probably about another 10-12 years.

In that case, you'd easily make your money back on insulation adjustments. As many on here have said, I would highly recommend having an energy audit done on your home to see your biggest issues...judging by the age of your house, I would think the only issues would be windows or proper roof/attic/terminal wall insulation. Have you had your HVAC updated in the last 10 or so years? You're probably due soon if not.

Unless whoever built the house made a big mistake with the insulation I don't think it would be a big issue. I agree about having a pro come out and check it.

You are lucky, my house was built in 1960. Brick on cinder block with furring strips and plaster. Zero insulation.

This winter's experiments is this puppy.


I had a couple of massive maples cut down a couple years ago and kept all the wood, may as well put it to use.

Yikes...that's my nightmare. I'm very partial to certain neighborhoods up here in Toledo, and many are older internal masonry, and I know I'll run into the same issues.

As far as insulation concerns, the only issue tends to crop up if insulation wasn't properly installed at the roof level. Terminal walls are pretty hard to miss when it comes to insulation, but some homes built in the late 80's/early 90's weren't as liberal with their above head insulation in order to save money on construction costs.

Yeah, I knew what we were getting into, but the location makes it plenty worth it. We immediately added plenty of blown in insulation in the attic. I will say for Jarr's sake, if you have some DIY in you the blown in stuff is not difficult and even pretty fun. But my insulation guy has said before that 75% of a homes heat loss is up, until it's not. Meaning putting a ton of insulation in the attic is great but the heat will find a way out the sides if there are gaps anywhere.

Personally I'm going to try the barrel stove in the basement or I'll likely end up adding a wood burning insert in the lower level. I did redo the entire house and part of me certainly regrets not just putting in 2x4 studding and insulating, but that would have been a ton of extra work. And as stupid as it sounds, I didn't want to lose the marble sills that would not have fit with new walls.