Many people are surprised to find that even if they have
insulated their attic, their attic could be costing them money
in wasted heat bills. Here’s why. If you have folding stairs to
access your attic, they can be a major source of heat loss
because they are often poorly sealed and often just have a thin
piece of plywood to keep the heated air from escaping. When
attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10
square feet) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and
insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only a
thin, unsealed, sheet of plywood. Your attic space is ventilated
directly to the outdoors. In the winter, the attic space can be
very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And what is
separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned attic?
That thin sheet of plywood. Often a gap can be observed around
the perimeter of the door. Try This Yourself At night, turn on
the attic light,shut the attic stairway door and look at it from
below — do you see any light comi