How do I insulate my old house better?

Hi Tammy. I'm Cindy. My husband helped answer your DIY question. He said that your insulation has probably settled inside your exterior walls. You can rent a hopper and a blower, which is the machine to blow insulation inside your walls. You will need bags of "blow in" insulation and a couple people to help you. You put the insulation in the hopper and blow it thru the long hose. Another person will be in your attic to control the hose. He will blow the insulation in between each of the exterior wall studs. You will need a lot of light in the attic for this job. You should see a significant savings on your heating and cooling bills when you complete this job. Best wishes.

This 1940s house was insulated by previous owner who had the siding removed and had styrofoam 8x4' insulation panels added and then had new siding put back on.

You might be able to have blown in insulation also.

Hi Tammy,

Although you are focusing on your exterior walls, remember your high school physics...heat energy will move in ANY direction to anything that is a lower temperature. Make sure your doors and windows are caulked and sealed. Insulate your attic floor and basement ceiling (mixed opinions on this one). This will help cut down on your energy loss.

Alj is right in using blown insulation. BUT you can't access the walls from the attic. You will need to locate the wall cavities first. Then drill a hole close to the ceiling and one abou 12" above the floor to to fit the hose nozzle. Insulation is blown through the top hole and as it flows out the bottom hole the cavity is filled. Patch the holes.