If your upstairs is cold and your heating bill is climbing, the attic is the first place to look - it's the biggest single heat leak in most Alberta homes. Heat rises and escapes through every unsealed penetration in the ceiling, and no amount of furnace makes up for an attic that leaks.
Why the attic loses the most
Warm air rises and pushes out through pot lights, the attic hatch, plumbing stacks and top plates. Old, settled or gapped insulation lets it go, and the stack effect runs all winter.
The fix: seal, then insulate
- Air-seal the ceiling plane with foam at the penetrations - this stops the leak.
- Build depth with blown-in or foam to reach R-38. Sealing first is what stops the drafts and the ice dams; adding R without sealing leaves the leak running.
The payoff
Warmer rooms, a furnace that cycles less, and lower bills - fast, because the attic is the highest-return fix. See attic spray foam and high heating bill fix. Get a quote.