Stop the Energy Loss Through Your Attic Entrance

Nearly every home has an interior entrance to their attic. It can be a pull down ladder, push up hatch, knee wall panel, or permanent staircase. Regardless of which 1 you have in your home, it is costing you a lot of money in both summer and winter if not properly treated. It is so important that the 2009 Residential Code (IRC) will require specific measures to stop the energy loss and keep the living area healthy.

To solve the problem, you need the following:

• Insulating value over the entrance similar to the rest of your attic. This is needed to stop conductive heat transfer. It is measure in R-Value where the higher the R-Value, the greater the insulating value. Homes should have twice the insulating value in the attic as the walls, typically R-38 or higher. If you have knee wall panel, then you only need insulating value similar to what is in the walls of your home.
• Durable air sealing. This is required to stop the air leaks which cause drafts and convective heat transfer.
• A permanent protective barrier. This is needed to keep loose insulation from entering the living area when the attic entrance is opened.

Your Options

If you have good carpentry skills, you can build a solution. It is very important that any solution meets all the attributes listed above. If you don’t, energy loss will continue and can cause other problems. For example, if you were to simply attach insulation to the back of your hatch panel, there would still be air leaks. That would result in continued convective heat transfer and can cause mold.

If you don’t have carpentry skills or the time, there are commercially available pre-fab kits that also address the problem.

Special Offer

A special offer for our residents for ESS Energy Products, coupon code LGT0109, which is worth $20 is available.

ESS Energy Products, Inc. is a Chester County company that produces The Energy Guardian® Kits. These kits meet all the 2009 IRC requirements, received the 2008 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence and were featured in This Old House. Each kit is lightweight and easy to use. All ESS kits have a 20 year warranty and can be self installed. Prices are very affordable and kits quickly pay for themselves.

London Grove Township residents can get a $20 discount off of any ESS kit if they use the coupon code LGT0109.

To order or for more information, go to the ESS Energy Products website or call 1-877-ESS-4NRG (877-377-4674).