Unpopular opinion: that 'newer is better' insulation job in my north valley house

I had my attic insulation replaced with spray foam about 18 months ago. Everyone said it was the gold standard and would pay for itself fast. But my winter gas bill actually went up by $20 a month compared to the old fiberglass batts I took out. I think the contractor didn't seal the air gaps around my can lights right, and now the foam is trapping moisture up there. Has anyone else seen worse numbers after a spray foam upgrade?

2 comments

2 Comments

victor_davis1717d ago

I had a buddy up in Redding who did the spray foam thing two years ago and his bills shot up $35 the first winter. We popped up there and found the same exact problem with his can lights, the foam guys just sprayed right over them without any baffles or fireproof covers. Your moisture issue is real, I've seen it cause mold on the roof decking inside of six months. You need to get a thermal imaging camera and go up there on a cold night, you'll see the cold spots around those lights clear as day. Seal those gaps with some fire rated caulk and put some rigid foam baffles around each can before you worry about anything else, that should stop the air leakage and let the moisture escape.

victorross17d ago

Yeah man, that's rough, sorry to hear about your buddy's headache.