Frequently, it's not your furnace or your air conditioner's fault that it can't keep up with mother nature's deep mood swings: it's the lack of insulation. Insulation is the clear winner when making decisions about
getting the most bang for the home performance buck, starting with the attic. 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. 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). Cellulose is typically 85% recycled material, flame-retardant, and pest-resistant.
But whether it's cellulose, foam board, fiberglass, spray foam, or recycled denim, it's important to find the right material for the job and install it correctly.
But whether it's cellulose, foam board, fiberglass, spray foam, or recycled denim, it's important to find the right material for the job and install it correctly.
To see if you qualify for incentives that help pay for
insulating your home, see our Incentives and Rebates page.