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Houses come in an infinitude of shapes and sizes, but all of them incorporate some of the elements of the dwelling at right. Using this drawing as a guide, make a check list of the walls, ceilings and floors that should be insulated in your own home to reduce heating and air- conditioning bills. The overall rule for insulating a house is simple: insulation should be present at any surface separating living spaces from unheated areas, since that is where heat loss occurs—and also where the sun’s heat can make unwelcome entry in the summer. All exterior walls should be insulated, not neglecting any wall of a split-level house that rises above an adjacent roof. Any wall between a heated room and an unheated area such as a garage, utility room or open porch also demands insulation, as do floors separating living spaces from such unheated areas. and do not overlook the over hanging portion of a room cantilevered out from the rest of the house. If the house has an unheated cellar or crawl space, the floors above must be insulated. In the case of a finished basement, the below-ground walls require insulation. Similarly, the floor of an unheated attic calls for insulation, whereas a finished room in a heated attic must have an insulated ceiling and knee walls as well as protection for the ceilings and walls of all dormers. Where insulation goes. Because heated air rises and is lost through the roof, the most critical insulation sites in this house are the floor of the un finished attic and the roof above the finished attic. To complete the envelope protecting the heated interior from the unheated exterior, the exterior walls and aboveground foundation should be protected. Then come the ceilings of the your basement, garage and crawl space. Not to be neglected are such heat escape routes as dormers and overhangs, which should be blanketed with insulation.
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