That’s what happened to the homeowners in this week’s Inspection File.

They had already lived in the house for a year.

The heating bill had tipped them off that something major might have been missed when the home was built.

Then I opened the attic hatch.

What I found up there was hard to believe. 🏠🔎

I’m inspecting a new home that isn’t even a year old yet.

The homeowners called me because they’ve been dealing with unusually high heating bills.

Now summer is here—and the house is ridiculously hot.

They’ve already lived in the house for almost a year, so this isn’t just one strange bill or an unusually cold week.

Something doesn’t seem right.

There could be plenty of explanations.

A furnace problem. Air leakage. Poorly sealed windows or doors. An issue with the ductwork.

As usual, once I’ve finished the exterior inspection, I start inside with the attic.

The outside of the house actually looks pretty good.

I set up my ladder and climb toward the attic hatch. As I get closer, I can already feel the heat.

It’s a warm, sunny day outside, but the attic is much hotter.

I slide the access hatch to one side and shine my light across the attic.

Something major is missing.

No blown-in insulation.

No insulation at all.

There is literally zero insulation covering the ceiling below.

Just exposed framing and the backside of the ceiling drywall, covered with vapour barrier, stretching across the attic.

Somehow, the house had been completed, turned over to the owners, and occupied for almost a year—while one of the most important parts of the building envelope had simply never been installed.

Their heating bills suddenly made a lot more sense.

And so did the heat they were dealing with now.

No Insulation!

Insulation slows the transfer of heat between the conditioned living space and the outdoors.

During winter, warm air inside the house is constantly trying to move toward colder areas. The ceiling below the attic represents a very large surface area.

Normally, attic insulation creates a substantial thermal barrier between the warm house and the cold attic.

In this home, that barrier was essentially missing.

The furnace could still heat the house, but it had to run much longer to maintain the temperature.

That helps explain why the heating bills were so high.

The problem wasn’t making heat. It was keeping that heat inside the house.

And the same problem works in reverse during summer. Heat from the attic can make the house much harder to keep cool.

High heating and cooling bills, uneven temperatures and other comfort problems can all be signs that a home has inadequate insulation or air-sealing issues.

In this case, the fix is pretty straightforward: add the missing insulation.

But in your home, you don’t need to crawl through the attic to get a rough idea of what’s happening up there.

If the attic is safely accessible, open the hatch and take a look from below with a flashlight.

You should normally see insulation spread across the attic floor. If the ceiling joists are clearly visible because the insulation is at or below their tops, that can be a sign that more insulation may be needed.

Watch for:

If something looks wrong, an insulation or building-envelope contractor can assess what’s there and determine what needs to be corrected.

And if you open the hatch and see nothing at all?

You’ve probably found a pretty good explanation for that heating bill.

Attic insulation isn’t something most homeowners think about once they move in, but it’s worth checking occasionally—especially after renovations or work has been done in the attic.

Pay attention to unusually high heating or cooling bills. Your utility bill can sometimes be the first clue that the house isn’t performing the way it should.

Look for rooms that are consistently hotter or colder than the rest of the house.

During winter, unusual snow-melt patterns or recurring ice dams can also point toward heat escaping into the attic.

And if you’ve bought a new home, don’t assume something was installed simply because it was supposed to be.

Sometimes the most surprising inspection finds aren’t things that failed.

They’re things that were never installed in the first place.

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Want to learn more about Attic Insulation?

How Much Attic Insulation Do I Need?
Are you under insulated?
How To Add Insulation to Your Attic (this old house)
Blown in insulation
Types of Attic Insulation: Pros and Cons (Family Handyman)
What’s the best attic insulation?

The shingles were still there. The protection wasn’t.

Next week, I’ll show you what deteriorating shingles can look like before a roof starts leaking—and the warning signs homeowners can watch for. 🏠🔎Until next time,