WASHINGTON - Time's running out on a way homeowners can actually save money by spending money on some home improvements.
Around Labor Day is the traditional time that homeowners start thinking about re-insulating their homes against the oncoming chill of winter. Home improvement experts say it should be done every few years.
"Insulation actually deteriorates over time," Angie Hicks, CEO and founder of Angie's List, said. "So, it's not something you can ignore. it needs to be checked periodically."
They also say it's OK to put the new on top of the old.
"You know, basically you want to check just to see what "R" value you actually do have and add to it, and you can add right on top of the old insulation as well," Dustin Hare from The Home Depot said.
But especially this year, you should look into re-insulating because the clock's ticking on a tax break that can save money.
"There is a tax credit - a federal tax credit - that will expire at the end of this year, and it's for up to 10 percent off the price of the insulation, not the installation of it, just the materials, up to $500," Hicks said.
Hicks says costs of those materials can add up, and that insulating can be hot, dirty and hard work if you do it yourself, but even getting a contactor can shave up to 20 percent off heating and cooling bills - maybe more if you start with an energy audit.
"An energy audit is a great way to check the energy efficiency of your home, and a lot of the utility companies across the country do offer them," Hicks said.
How thick insulation should be varies from one part of the country to the next, but the recommended minimum is R-30.
For those who remember the discomfort you'd feel from the old fiberglass insulation that could stick in your skin, experts say the new stuff wont do that to you anymore.
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