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Fred BraxtonGood discussion! A picture from Albrecht Stoecklein that really struck me and that I’ve found helpful: An investment in home sustainability has more than one return. The monetary ROI may be 3% (and of course no two economists would agree how to calculate it); but then there’s the return in comfort of another 3%; and a 3% return in the feel-good/futureprofing factor. So a 9% return! Not “scientific” but neither is economics, and it’s convincing for many clients.
Re futureprofing: If adding ceiling insulation to a house with single glazing and no wall insulation, plan to do it only once. To add more insulation than strictly necessary may not be justified in the conventional sense even though the marginal cost is small, because the extra benefit is outweighed by the significant heat losses through glazing and walls. But if at a later date the windows get improved and/or the walls get insulated, then having a higher level in the ceiling does become justified.
