There are many benefits of a well-insulated home. Insulation reduces the sound from outside, so you can enjoy your home’s peacefulness more.
In addition to keeping your family comfortable and reducing noise levels, all insulation plays a role in keeping out outdoor contaminants such as dust, pollen, mold spores, and smoke. Plus, all insulation slows the flow of air into and around your home.
Adding insulation will help reduce energy bills, which means you’ll have more money in your pocket at the end of the month. What’s more, well-insulated homes are safer and healthier for families.
It’s an excellent investment for your family and the environment.
It’s not just about saving money. Insulation is important to your well-being and the environment, too!
Insulation does more than keep your house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It also prevents airborne pollutants from seeping into your home. And if you live in a humid climate like Houston, insulation can help reduce moisture levels inside your home. The bottom line: Poorly insulated homes are less comfortable, have higher utility bills, are more prone to air pollution–and may even be unsafe for a long-term living!
Well-insulated homes have a better indoor environment.
Insulation reduces the sound from outside, so you can enjoy your home’s peacefulness more.
In addition to keeping your family comfortable and reducing noise levels, all insulation plays a role in keeping out outdoor contaminants such as dust, pollen, mold spores, and smoke. Plus, all insulation slows the flow of air into and around your home.
In warmer climates, insulation helps keep conditioned air from escaping outside through the ceiling cavity. In colder climates, insulation keeps hot air from reaching the cold outdoor walls. Either way, a well-insulated home is a more energy-efficient one!
It’s an excellent investment for your family and the environment.
The average national energy cost for a single-family home is about $2,000 per year (with about 60% of that total attributed to heating and cooling). By sealing air leaks and adding insulation in your attic, walls, ceilings, basement, and crawl space–where most homes lose their heat or coolness–you can reduce your energy bills by up to 30%. That’s like getting a raise of more than $800 per year!
When you install insulation in your home, you save money on utility bills. At the same time, you make your house more comfortable–so you feel less need to turn up the heat or air conditioner. All told, adding R-19 insulation in the attic and R-13 in the walls will save you about $20 per month on your utility bills.
And when weatherized properly, your home protects you from potentially harmful pollutants that could seep inside (and expose you to allergens like mold, dust mites, pollen, and animal dander). If you live in a humid climate, insulation reduces the risk of moisture build-up inside your home, which can also create an ideal environment for allergens.
Well-insulated homes are safer.
When you have the proper insulation in place, your family is more protected from the threat of dangerous carbon monoxide—a colorless, odorless gas that can cause flu-like symptoms and even death.
Here’s how it happens: Inadequately vented gas appliances, such as a water heater, furnace, clothes dryer, or oven, can release the deadly gas into your home. And if you have an attached garage or direct exhaust from a car coming into your home through open windows—or an open door—you have an increased risk of being exposed to carbon monoxide.
Well-insulated homes are more comfortable.
Insulation can help reduce indoor noise levels, making your home feel more peaceful and quiet. If you live in a drafty home, adding insulation will decrease the airflow through your rooms. This makes for a more comfortable home since you can better control the temperature by turning up or down your thermostat.
Well-insulated homes are more energy-efficient.
The added insulation slows heat loss in colder climates and heat gain in warmer climates, making it easier for your heating and cooling systems to maintain an even indoor temperature without working so hard. This reduces the amount of energy you use to keep your home comfortable.
According to Energy Star, a national program that promotes energy efficiency, an average home with reduced insulation loses more than $700 worth of heating and cooling each year.
Well-insulated homes are better for the environment.
Insulating your home helps conserve nonrenewable fuels such as oil and gas by reducing your need for those fuels to heat or cool your home. For example, adding R-19 insulation in the attic and R-13 in the walls can reduce your energy bills by up to 30%. And if one of every ten homes were upgraded to improve its insulation, it would save enough power for 1 million homes—and that’s like taking 200,000 cars off the road, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Well-insulated homes are safer and healthier for your family, more comfortable, and better for the environment—and there’s no time like the present to make it happen!
Perhaps after reading the information above, you’re now considering getting home insulation. Below are frequently asked questions about home insulation.
What is insulation?
Insulation is the material used to help keep your home comfortable and energy-efficient by helping block out cold or heat, sound, and harmful agents such as mold and allergens. It also provides protection from pollutants that can seep into your indoor air. Common types of insulation include fiberglass and reflective foil insulation.
What is fiberglass insulation?
Fiberglass insulation is most commonly used in homes; it’s made with glass fibers that are spun together and bound with glue, plastic, or resin. It can be blown into walls and attics where high levels of insulation are needed. Fiberglass offers excellent durability against the elements, is safe to work with (it doesn’t burn, melt, or support combustion), and is relatively inexpensive to purchase.
What is reflective foil insulation?
Reflective foil insulation is made of two sheets of thin aluminum separated by a layer of air (or another gas-phase insulation material). The reflective surfaces enhance the insulating power of the material by reflecting radiant heat back into your home, keeping your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. You can buy reflective foil insulation loose or with a paper backing, but it’s more expensive than fiberglass.
What is the difference between reflective foil and fiberglass insulation?
Loose-fill fiberglass consists of loose glass fibers held together with a binder; while some may be made with formaldehyde, new improved products are now available that use no-added-formaldehyde binders. Foil insulation uses differing thicknesses of aluminum foil, usually coated with polyethylene or vinyl to prevent degradation.
What is S?
Spray foam insulation is an aerosol that expands into a solid, airtight seal when it’s applied. It can fill cracks and gaps in walls, around windows and doors, and even up to the underside of your roof decking. The most popular type of spray foam insulation is urethane.
What are other types of spray foam insulation?
There are different types of spray foam insulation, including polyurethane, soy-based polyurethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), open-cell, and closed-cell. Because these products vary so much in cost, performance, application methods, conditions for installation, required equipment, and thickness – it’s important to compare costs, performance, and requirements so you can make an informed decision about which one is best for your project.
What are the benefits of spray foam insulation?
Spray foam insulation is moisture-resistant; it seals up cracks and leaks, and it stops air infiltration. It provides superior thermal barrier protection by filling all gaps and voids in your walls or attic. It also prevents heat transfer better than any other type of insulation and is the best choice for home acoustics and humidity control, and its R-value increases as it cures.
What are the downsides of spray foam insulation?
Spray foam insulation is expensive and requires a lot of material to complete an area, but most importantly, it takes time to install—which can impact your ability to do other projects or activities on the days you have scheduled for installation. It also requires professional installation by a licensed contractor.
How does home insulation works?
Insulation works by trapping dead-air spaces within a material. This is called “R-value,” which measures the resistance to heat flow; the higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power. Look for insulation that has at least an R-value of 30 or 40 (most common) for maximum energy efficiency and comfort.
Fiberglass and reflective foil insulation—both of which use trapped air as their main insulating factor—work by keeping heat out in the summer and keeping it inside in the winter. Loose-fill isn’t an effective insulator unless you add batt or blanket insulation on top of it.
What is “R-value”?
“R-value” is the measure of insulation’s ability to resist heat flow; the higher the number, the greater the insulating power. For example, fiberglass insulation with an R-value of 6 will keep your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer than an R-3 fiberglass product.
What R-value do I need?
Fiberglass and reflective foil insulation both have an R-value of about 3 per inch, which means they provide very little insulating power; you should add more to your home. Adding 1″ of fiberglass insulation (at a minimum) in your home’s walls, floors, and ceiling can save 10% on your annual energy bills.
Where is the insulation used?
Insulation is most commonly used in attics, crawl spaces, walls, and floors to improve the overall comfort of your home. The materials are also sometimes installed under floorboards to keep houses warmer in winter and cooler in summer, or inside walls and ceilings to prevent the bypassing of noise.
When is it best to have insulation installed?
Installing insulation during new construction typically costs about 50 cents per square foot, while adding it to an existing home typically costs $1-2 per square foot. If you’re looking to replace your old insulation, you should have a professional test it for quality before purchasing new material.
What is the difference between wall and attic insulation?
Loose-fill fiberglass is the preferred insulation choice in attics because it fills cavities completely. In walls, you can use either loose-fill or batt (or blanket) insulation, but many professionals recommend a combination of the two to achieve maximum effectiveness.
What is blown-in insulation?
Blown-in insulation uses a machine to blow fibers into wall and ceiling cavities that have been opened with a special tool called an attic gun. Fiberglass is the only material that can be safely “blown-in” because it doesn’t support combustion like cellulose insulation.
Why should I choose blown-in insulation?
Blown-in insulation fills cavities completely, leaving no room for air leaks, which can save you up to 25% on energy costs in your home each year. This type of insulation does not settle like loose fill and does not require a vapor barrier or extra insulation on top to achieve maximum effectiveness.
What is the cheapest insulation?
Loose-fill fiberglass is typically considered one of the cheapest insulating materials; blow-in insulation is more expensive but provides superior acoustic control (though both are less effective than batts, blankets, or spray foam). Reflective foil is also a relatively inexpensive material.
What insulation is best for the walls?
Loose-fill fiberglass, which can be blown in between wall studs, batt (or blanket) insulation, and spray foam are all good choices for your home’s walls.
Why should I use loose-fill fiberglass insulation?
Loose-fill fiberglass is the cheapest insulation material available; it’s easily installed, and you can buy it in large quantities to save on cost.
What are the benefits of reflective foil insulation?
Reflective foil insulates through thermal reflection rather than absorbing or blocking heat like other materials. It also reflects sound waves (which can keep your home quiet) and is non-combustible, making it an ideal choice for attics.
What type of insulation is best for my home?
Your choice of insulation should depend on what you need it to do. If your energy bills are very high, consider blown-in insulation: it has a higher R-value and fills more of the area (typically 40 inches in walls and attics). If you’re looking for an inexpensive material underneath floorboards, loose-fill insulation is the best choice.
You should also consider hiring a professional contractor to determine the best type and brand of insulation for your home, based on factors such as climate and construction type. They will also help you plan for air sealing and insulating your home’s attic, walls, and floors.