My office is located in a finished room between the garage and main house. The room is built over an inaccessible crawl space and with no access to above the ceiling. It also has wide pine flooring which has been impossible to keep in good condition due to grit coming in from the garage. There is cold air flowing into the room around the window trim and from the recessed lighting fixtures.
The energy loss from this room probably reflects the inefficiencies in my entire house and typical to most older homes. Although the goal of my project is to create a mud room area with appropriate tile flooring, I am addressing the energy efficiency issues as much as possible.
I will remove the window trim and spray foam around the edges of the window to seal from infiltrating air. I am replacing the recessed fixtures with fixtures rated for insulated ceilings that omit air flow through the fixture. While the electrician is up in the attic space, I will add another layer of batt insulation over the ceiling joists. I am not using compact fluorescents due to the fact that the fixtures are on dimmers. I will put air blocking foam inserts in all the switch and outlet boxes on the exterior walls. I would love to cut open access to the crawl space and see if the builder ever properly insulated, but it is very difficult to insulate in this type of space after the fact. So I am passing on that procedure.
As I stated, the area above the ceiling was inaccessible. In order to change the light fixtures and add insulation, I have had to cut a drywall opening in my second floor closet and through the exterior plywood sheathing to open a very small hole for the electrician to crawl through and rewire while on his stomach. Glad I am not an electrician!
For a small 12' x 16' room, this seems like a major project. But this type of project is the future. People are looking for ways to cut energy bills and to make their existing homes fit their lifestyle. Pick a room and get started.
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