You ever thought about insulating your garage? Putting up drywall?

Simple answer, unless you have a finished space over the garage, do not waste your money!

Saving money on energy bills is hard, especially in MN, where the furnace has to work from late September till end of May. It costs us hundreds of dollars a month to make the living space comfortable.

However, the garage is a different story. You will never recoup the money spent insulating and putting up drywall. Unless your garage is heated, insulation will have no effect on the temperature inside your garage in cold climates. Just because you add insulation it will not make the garage warmer or cooler.

The main purpose of insulation is to slow the conduction of heat from the walls and ceiling to the outside and vice-verse. Insulation by itself does not generate heat. If your garage is already cold, the area will virtually remain the same temperature whether you have insulation or not. And remember this, when you open your garage door, you recycle the air in a matter of seconds then trap the new cold air.

People think that the walls that separate the main house from the garage will allow some heat to pass and warm the garage. This should never be the case! The walls which separate the garage from your main house should be insulated to prevent as much heat loss as possible. If those walls are not insulated or not insulated enough, that is something that should be fixed immediately. In fact, adding more insulation may be necessary, and will save you money.

The Bottom Line is, if you use your garage as storage, like 99% of the Minnesotans, you’re better off leaving the garage alone. Maybe insulate the ceiling of your garage instead. Make your decision based on your lifestyle and needs and know you’re doing your best to keep your energy costs down.