Increased Heating Oil Prices and Proper Insulation

It has been reported the heating oil prices could increase in the coming months by at least 70%. This is due to the recent hurricane Katrina. It seems like we are at the total mercy of the natural gas producers as well as the Petroleum companies these days. What can we do to our homes to make them more "fuel efficient?" One this that would help is more adequate insulation in the walls and ceilings. This could get pretty costly if you are planning to tear down the existing drywall in order to install batt type insulation between the joist and stud cavities. The other option is to use the blown in cellulose or even a blown in closed cell insulation. These products are generally used for completed structures where the customer does not wish to demo walls and ceiling. The problem with these products is that they do not give adequate coverage like the fitted batt insulation can give and they also break down rapidly with time. I personally feel that these products are a waste of money and time. Now granted, I look at everything from a soundproofing standpoint, but I don't like spending $thousands$ on something that probably won't give me the "R" factor I desire in my walls and ceilings and will breakdown rapidly over time. It is always better to insulate during construction, but that's little comfort to the person living in a 60 year old Brownstone in New York as the temperatures dip into the teens, and plaster that have never even seen a batt of insulation. Living in Southern California we panic when the temps dip into the 40 deg range. Burrrrrrrrrr, It's hard to imagine deciding between food and heating oil. It seems like it is that way with gasoline these days as well.
My heart goes out to the people on the East Coast and in the Midwest as this will be one bitter winter. God Bless America, Please don't forget us Lord.

As Always,

Dr Bob
e-mail: dr.bob@soundproofingamerica.com
Call Toll free (877) 530-0139