Recently we had a free Home Energy Audit courtesy of our utility company and paid for by The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the auditor who owns a green insulation company, did the blower door test and checked the insulation in the attic, as well as looking for other signs of energy waste in the boiler, hot water heater, and appliances. The blower test did not reveal any great leaks, but he did recommend to spray foam insulation throughout the attic, particularly around the registers where the air conditioning ducts are, "there is alot of loss around the holes cut for the registers and also in the space above the kitchen cabinets", he said. He also wants to spray foam insulation in the basement below the bathtub, around the hole in the chimney, and around the pipes for the plumbing fixtures, all around the attic ceiling.
My questions are: 1)can I expect to see lower energy costs due to his efforts or is he just profitting by doing the job?
2)I dont really see the need to insulate and spray foam anywhere in the basement, seeing as the temperature really never changes much down there, and if you spray around the PVC plumbing, what if there's a leak in years to come, doesn't this complicate doing plumbing work?
The house was built in 1983, has layered insulation in the attic, and is in one of the retirement developments in Central New Jersey.
Please address both questions in your response and thanks much.