Survey: 90% of U.S. homes are under-insulated

A new survey suggests that Americans could be missing the boat big-time on residential energy conservation.

The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) estimates that approximately 90% of U.S. homes are under-insulated. That's based on information from the 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, as well as using methods to estimate insulation levels developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and applied by Boston University researchers as part of a study supported by NAIMA.

"If all U.S. homes were fitted with insulation based on the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), residential electricity use nationwide would drop by about 5% and natural gas use by more than 10%," said Dr. Jonathan Levy, Professor of Environmental Health at Boston University School of Public Health.

"People don't see insulation, so they don't think about it," said Curt Rich, president and CEO of NAIMA. "They see windows and doors so they think about those items. The reality is that insulation has a three times greater impact on the average home's energy and comfort than windows or doors do."