Investing in insulation is a smart way to ensure a comfortable indoor climate all year round. It also helps reduce energy consumption and lowers utility bills.
There are several types of insulation, including blow-in cellulose, fiberglass, spray foam, and polyester matting. Each type works differently to trap and repel heat.
Reduces Temperature Changes
When it comes to energy efficiency and climate control, insulation is the foundation of any Central Illinois home. Insulation can help your HVAC system work less hard, saving you money and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
When properly installed, insulation prevents the unwanted transfer of heat from the outside in the winter and the inside during the summer. The result is a constant indoor temperature, improving comfort regardless of outdoor weather conditions.
In addition to the comfort that insulation provides, it also helps improve the quality of your living space. It helps to reduce noise pollution from the outside, creating a quieter and more tranquil environment in your home.
If you’re building a new home, consider using materials such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), insulated concrete forms or advanced wall framing techniques. These products have insulation built in, eliminating the need for traditional insulating materials and reducing thermal bridging through wood studs. They also have greater R-value than many conventional cellulose or fiberglass products, making them an excellent choice for new homes.
Reduces Drafts
While it’s easy to think of insulation as a way to ward off the cold winter temperatures, this product does just as much good in the summer – preventing conditioned air from leaving your home. Many homes lose a significant amount of energy through heating and cooling, but with the proper amount of insulation, you’ll be able to significantly reduce your energy consumption.
Drafts are caused by a number of different factors, including the age of your windows and doors, poor weather sealing, and an under-insulated attic. Insulation is a great solution to these problems, and it can help prevent a wide range of other issues as well, such as moisture damage.
Insulation works by slowing specific heat flow mechanisms, including conduction, convection, and radiation. The materials used in insulation are designed to block passages that would otherwise allow conditioned air to escape and unconditioned air to enter the home, keeping your living space comfortable year-round.
If you’re planning on building a new home, consider using structural insulated panels or insulated concrete forms instead of traditional wood framing to get the best insulating value. Additionally, if you already have an older home, you can add insulation to the walls and attic using advanced wall framing techniques that improve R-values by eliminating thermal bridging through the wood studs.
Reduces Noise
While most people think of insulation primarily in terms of its ability to maintain consistent temperatures, it also has other helpful properties, such as sound reduction. This is especially useful for homeowners who live near busy roads or train tracks, where traffic and other noises can be heard inside their homes. Insulation can block these sounds, minimizing unwanted noise pollution and creating a quieter and more peaceful living environment.
Insulation helps reduce airborne noise and vibrations, dampening low, mid, and high-frequency sounds. This minimizes external disruptions and creates a more peaceful living environment, making it easier to focus and relax.
Additionally, insulation prevents noise from traveling between rooms. This is particularly important in apartment buildings and other tightly packed neighborhoods, where neighbors can hear conversations and other household activities. Insulation can reduce this problem, allowing you to have privacy in your own home while still having easy access to music and television in the same room as friends and family.
Insulation can help reduce noise when used in existing homes, or it can be installed during the construction of new homes. For new construction, consider using insulated concrete forms or structural insulated panels, which have insulation built in and can provide superior acoustic performance. For older homes, spray foam insulation is an excellent choice for reducing unwanted noises. It fills every crevice and creates a complete barrier to outside noises, as well as sound from room to room.
Reduces Moisture
Water is the lifeblood of all living things – but when it infiltrates your home or business, it creates discomfort and structural damage over time. This can be caused by ground water seepage, high humidity levels or even leaky pipes. Insulation can help keep the moisture out of your property.
Humidity and condensation are a major problem in New Zealand homes, making them feel damp, uncomfortably cool, and filled with musty smells. They can also cause a host of health problems, including respiratory issues and allergies. Insulation can help reduce the humidity and condensation in your home or commercial building by controlling temperature and eliminating air flow.
Condensation occurs when warm air meets cooler surfaces – like windowpanes and walls. As the air cools, it can no longer hold as much water vapour, and this water will deposit onto surfaces as a liquid – which if left untreated can soak into porous materials, causing moisture damage and encouraging mould growth. Insulation keeps the surface temperatures of all walls and ceilings higher, and this prevents condensation from forming on them.
Many leading insulation products use vapor diffusion retarders, which stop water vapor moving through the material. This means that when the air in your home gets warmer, it won’t be able to move as easily through insulation, and this can significantly lower humidity levels in your property.