Insulation is a key component to energy efficiency and home comfort. It can be incorporated into new homes and easily improved in existing ones.
When areas of your home are not insulated, conditioned air can escape into the outside through uninsulated duct work or walls and ceilings. This puts a strain on your heating and cooling system. Insulation helps keep conditioned air in your home during cold seasons, and hot air out in the summer.
Reduced Temperature Changes
Insulation, particularly in the attic, regulates home temperature and takes pressure off your air conditioning and heating systems. It prevents heat from escaping into the chilly outdoors in the winter and trapping it inside your home in the summer, making it possible for you to enjoy comfortable year-round temperatures without using excessive amounts of energy.
Adding insulation and sealing leaks in your walls, attic, crawl space or basement will also improve the overall health of your home. The materials block outdoor pollutants like dust, dirt and volatile chemicals from entering your home. In addition, they prevent mold and mildew from growing in your attic and other areas of the house that could lead to serious respiratory illnesses.
Poor insulation and air leaks cause air to shift from heated areas of your home to unheated ones in the winter. Your heating system has to work harder than it should to compensate, which will drive up your energy costs and reduce the comfort of your home. Insulation paired with proper sealing will reduce unwanted air transfer and improve your home’s energy efficiency, lowering your utility bills all year round. In fact, the EPA estimates that homeowners save an average of 15% on energy bills when they insulate their homes and seal air leaks. That can add up to huge savings over time.
Reduced Energy Bills
Insulation stops air and heat from escaping the home, which means it takes less energy to maintain a comfortable temperature inside. This can significantly reduce your energy bills, especially during the summer.
Whether your home was built recently or is older, it may be under-insulated. This could mean that the heat is not staying in the rooms that need it most. The air in your attic may be too hot, which forces your cooling system to work overtime and raises your energy bills.
Proper insulation can prevent the transfer of heat in and out of the home, reducing heating costs during the winter and cooling costs in the summer. This can pay for itself over time, and also helps to increase the value of your property.
The R-value of your insulation determines its effectiveness, with higher R-values providing better insulating power. You can get blown-in fiberglass, cellulose or foam insulation for your home. Foam insulation, for example, does not sag or shift over time like traditional insulation, which saves you money on repairs and maintenance.
If you are thinking of selling your property in the future, then a well-insulated home is highly desirable for potential buyers. This will help you achieve a faster sale and a higher price for your property. This is especially true if the area where your house is located has high utility rates.
Increased Comfort
When you add insulation to your home, it slows the movement of heat throughout your house. This helps keep your family comfortable all year round regardless of how scorching it is outside or how cold it gets in the winter. Insulation can also be used to reduce moisture in the home which will improve the air quality and prevent the build up of mould and mildew.
In addition to keeping the temperature in your home stable, insulation can block out any noises from the outside world. This is a great feature to have if you live in an area with loud traffic, airports or even noisy neighbors. Insulation can also be useful to block out the noises of your children playing, a video conference with work or even just snoring from the other room in the house.
When your home is not insulated, air can leak in through windows and doors or through cracks around electrical outlets. This can cause your HVAC system to work harder than it should in order to maintain a consistent temperature in the home. It also increases your energy bills significantly and can lead to an uncomfortable home. Insulation can help to eliminate drafts and seals air leakage, making your home a more comfortable place to be all year round. Insulation can be made from a variety of materials, including standard to medium density blankets (batts and rolls), cellulose, blown-in fiberglass or spray foam.
Reduced Noise
Insulation provides an effective barrier to keep outside noises out of your home. In addition to reducing airborne sound, such as traffic and voices, it also absorbs impact noise, such as footsteps and vibrations from large appliances like your washer and dryer.
Adding insulation to the attic, basement or crawl space can significantly reduce noise. Some types of insulation are designed with acoustics in mind, including foam and cellulose. Insulation can reduce airborne and impact noise in your home, helping you get a good night’s sleep.
A well insulated house can be quieter, which may be especially helpful if you have kids or teenagers living in your home. It’s easy to add acoustic insulation to new homes during construction, but if you live in an older home, retrofitting with acoustic insulation could be more difficult and costly.
Insulation prevents heat loss in the winter and gains in the summer, so your heating system doesn’t have to work as hard. The same is true for your cooling system, allowing it to run more efficiently and save on energy bills. Insulation also helps to reduce the transfer of heat between spaces, which can help keep your family comfortable. Insulation is available in many forms, including bulky fiber materials such as fiberglass, rockwool and cellulose, rigid foam boards and sleek foils.