Insulation

On the list of ways to save monergy at home, sometimes it’s lighting modifications, a tankless water heater or a new fridge that offers the homeowner the quickest payback on money spent.  Frequently, insulation is the clear winner when making decisions about getting the most bang for the home performance buck.  Properly insulated homes perform better, are more comfortable, provide better indoor air quality, offer soundproofing, and improve a home’s market value. 

Most insulation in a home is charged with one simple task: resisting heat flow.  Stopping heat flow into and out of our homes isn’t cost-effective.  We would all have to live in highly insulated steel safes 12 feet underground.  We can, however, protect ourselves from a great degree of the sun’s violence.  In summer, insulation provides us with a heavy blanket around the cool air we keep in our homes, protecting us from penetrating radiant heat, convective heat and conductive heat.  In winter, that heavy blanket keeps the outside cold air from compromising the temperature our warm air in our home. 

Too many homes have inadequate insulation.  This makes it very difficult to maintain constant temperatures in the home, burns lots of extra energy (and money), and causes overworked air conditioners and furnaces to wear out much sooner.  And that’s big money.

A weakness in a home’s insulation over 1-2% of the area being insulated can reduce the effectiveness of that insulation by 10-15% within that space.  In other words, small gaps in insulation can make a huge difference.  It’s important to find the best product for a given space, and install it properly…or risk having that work be undone by inefficiencies.           

In many applications, cellulose insulation is the best performer.  Attics are where cellulose shines, but its versatility allows it to be applied in walls by dense-packing or in a wall spray application.  Both options offer good air sealing capabilities, though the spray application is solely for new construction or home rehab (removal of wallboard/drywall).  Prairie Energy Solutions uses Applegate Stabilized Formula cellulose and GreenFiber cellulose.  Both are 85% recycled material, flame-retardant, and pest-resistant.

But whether it's cellulose, foam board, fiberglass, spray foam, or recycled denim, we'll find the right material for the job and expertly install it for you.  

To see if you qualify for incentives that help pay for insulating your home, see our Incentives and Rebates page or call us today.