Insulating your house properly will have an effect on your comfort and bank balance. There are many reasons why it is a good idea. Keep reading for the top reasons to get started today.
Comfort
Insulation will keep your house cool in summer and warm in winter. Ensuring your comfort is one of the key reasons to install effective insulation. Insulation does exactly that, it insulates your home and thus stops heat from moving between your home and the outside environment. Think of proper insulation as a heat barrier. Warmth cannot easily cross this barrier.
If you are often cold inside your home in winter or hot in summer it could be a sign that you need to check on the thermal efficiency of your home. Another sign is if your HVAC unit is often needed and running for long periods of time.
Keep the Heat Where It Belongs
Heat will primarily move in two ways into and out of a home. The first way is for heat to move through objects. All materials will conduct heat. Think of a spoon that is warm at one end. The heat will also move to the other end. Some materials are better at conducting heat than others. Metals are great at conducting heat and plastics for instance are not as good for moving heat around.
The second way for heat to move is by air movement. Although air does not do a good job of conducting heat, if it is allowed to move around it will also take the heat with it. Think of a hairdryer. Warm air is blown out and it will take the heat from the element to wherever it is pointed. Allowing air to move in and out of your house will also move heat in and out of your home.
Heat will try to move when there is a difference in temperature. Let’s say the outside temperature is cold in winter, then the heat from inside your home will try to get out. The opposite is true in summer.
When it is hot outside the heat will try to get in. Insulation will work effectively in preventing heat from trying to move either way. It makes it very hard for the heat to either enter or escape your home. Insulation can be installed in different ways when a home is built. Some insulation materials like foam installs are also easy to add even after a home is built. These are also great for odd-shaped cavities and areas which were not insulated at the time of building.
Keeps Your Home Quiet
Most types of insulation also have some sound dampening qualities. The features that make great insulation are often also great for sound dampening. This means that you will have less noise entering your home from outside. Peace and quiet are a very nice added bonus from great thermal insulation.
Helps With a Happy Bank Account
A thermally efficient house will require less energy to heat in winter. It will also require less energy to cool it in summer. You can use the Home Energy Saver calculator to check on saving energy and utility bills. This means not only smaller utility bills, but also smaller (and cheaper) HVAC units.
You might also get tax incentives for installing better insulation. In many areas, you will be able to claim the costs back for different time periods and the insulation will in effect pay for itself.
It Is Good for the Environment
Think a moment about where the energy for heating your home comes from. The fuel or electricity needed to heat (or cool) your home can be reduced by proper insulation. If you reduce the energy consumption of your home you will reduce the impact on the environment. An energy-efficient home is a green home.
Compliance to Building Code
Your local building code will require insulation of a specific minimum efficiency. If you are remodeling or building a new home you will have to comply with local building code and install insulation.
Be sure to check your local building code for specifics and minimum requirements like R-values of the insulation. The R-value is a measurement of the efficiency of a specific type of insulation. Discuss these needs with your contractor.
The list above should be enough to see that insulation is a great solution to many problems. The insulation in your home can be improved in almost all older homes and even some modern ones. Also, the fact that it can pay for itself over time should make it a must-have when thinking about improving your home.