Home Insulation:

Each winter, homeowners get hit with big heating bills while trying to heat their homes. You need your house to be well insulated so that all the heat you pump in doesn't just leave through the walls, floors, and ceilings. A house with quality insulation will certainly save on energy costs throughout the coldest months of the year by keeping the warm air in and the cold air out. Insulation resists the flow of heat - heat always flows from warmer to cooler surfaces which therefore means insulation need to reduce the transfer of heat. In the winter you want the heat to stay in your house and during the hotter summer months you want the heat to stay out of your house. You need to look at the "R Value" when purchasing insulation. The "R" means resistance to heat flow and the higher the R-value the greater the insulation power. The factors that determine what R Value you need are - where you live (higher R Value need in colder climates), how your home is built (1 story, 2 story, high ceiling, basement), and how you heat/cool your house (central A/C, heat pump or furnace). You don't have to use the same R value of insulation throughout your home, it's more important though to use higher R Values in rooms with high ceilings or in the attic.

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Fiberglass is the most common material used for insulation and comes in forms of blankets (I remember seeing my dad role these blankets out in our attic with the Pink Panther on them) and batts. Blankets are continuous rolls whereas a batt is precut pieces of insulation. Insulation also comes with or without a vapor barrier (keeps moisture out of the insulation). Cellulose insulation is fairly easy to install and is a cost-effective alternative to fiberglass insulation. Cellulose insulation is blown into your home using a special blower that you can rent from home improvement stores. When insulating basement walls or exterior walls, use rigid foam board because it usually has a better R Value than fiberglass. A well insulated home or building will be able to maintain a comfortable temperature year round. Depending on the size of your home, it should take no more than 2 days to insulate your house. The 4 major areas in your house to insulate are the exterior walls, attic, garage and crawlspace. The attic is probably the most important place to put either cellulose or roll insulation since it is the hottest part of the house in the summer and in the winter it needs to keep heat loss to a minimum. Some attics actually require a 2nd layer of insulation in which case you need to lay the second layer on top and perpendicular to the first. When insulating your exterior walls, let a professional do the installation of cellulose insulation since it can be difficult. If you are going to use roll insulation, then you can probably do it yourself. Many people forget about the crawlspace (usually below the floor on the ground level) which if left uninsulated can leave tile and vinyl floors feeling cold. You essentially cover the crawlspace ceiling with insulation and still leave an area to crawl around. Another area of the home that is open to heat loss is the garage. Although the walls and ceilings in a garage are probably insulated, the garage door is often left exposed. A garage door should have a R-value of at least 5 and up to 10 in colder weather climates. You can weather seal between the sections on the garage door and add a bottom threshold to keep rain and wind out. When working with insulation, always wear gloves, goggles, and a dust mask. Make sure you have a flashlight handy when working in attics or dark crawlspaces and keep a utility knife on hand for quick cuts.

Improving Your Insulation:

There are lots of ways to improve the insulation in your house without actually putting in more insulation. Consider installing gaskets behind coverplates, install glass doors on fireplaces, put in energy efficient windows and doors (all these can account for up to 10-25% of your heating costs). Caulk windows and door trim and put weatherstripping on windows/doors. You can save up to 16% on energy bills if you by insulating ductwork or repairing leaks. Wrap ducts with duct wrap insulation (R-6) with vapor retarder. If you have to you can always put additional insulation into trouble spots. You can us blanket insulation, blown-in loose fill insulation, foamed-in place polyurethane foam insulation, rigid insulations, reflective insulating systems, radiant barriers, spray foam insulation, or insulation paint. Insulation paint is relatively new to the market and is reinforced with "vacuum filled ceramic beads". The beads create an insulating barrier on the surface of the painted area.

Insulation Contractor:

If some of the work described above sounds like too much do it yourself, then perhaps hiring an energy specialist to help get your home in shape might be the answer. An insulation contractor would have special tools (blower doors) that can find hidden leaks. They are experienced with proper sealing and insulation techniques that should save you plenty of money in energy costs down the road (if not immediately). Blown-in and spray foam insulation are not projects that we recommend to the average homeowner, let professional installers do it. Contractors that install insulation are required by the FTC to give you a certified receipt which verifys the R-value of the insulation they used. Make sure that any insulation put into your house comes from a reputable brand like Owens-Corning, Frost King, Styrofoam, Thermwell, Reflectix. Some samples on pricing are - Thermwell 12 In. X 15 Ft. X 1/8 In. Self-Adhesive Foil/Foam Duct Insulation ($15), Reflectix 24 In. x 25 Ft. Reflective Insulation ($21), and Frost King 48 In. x 75 In. x 2 In. Water Heater Insulation Blanket ($15). All these items were found at HomeDepot (also avaiable at Lowes.com). You can find an insulation contractor online through the Insulation Contractors Association of America at Insulate.org.

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