It’s almost April and for us here in Phoenix, summer (and the heat that comes with it) is fast approaching. If you followed our advice last time on the blog you got your HVAC looked at and professionally cleaned and it’s working great! Before the heat fully kicks in we thought we’d talk about something that is helpful year-round in keeping the heat out and, in the winter, in! That’s right we’re talking about insulation. Let’s get to it!
Insulation is rarely in the front of our minds, after all, it sits there in the walls, in between the drywall and the exterior and you know what they say: ‘Out of sight, out of mind,’ but there it is, keeping the temperature controlled and our homes comfortable year-round.
Insulation Basics
First thing first, ‘insulation’ can mean all sorts of different things. There are acoustic insulations that keep the noise down, impact insulation that limits vibrations and others. For our purposes, we are almost always talking about thermal insulation – insulation that manages the loss or gain of heat in the home.
How Insulation Works
In the most basic terms, insulation works by slowing the flow of heat. Think about a thermos. You put hot coffee in first thing in the morning before a long day and it stays hot for hours. That’s because the thermos is an insulated container, keeping the heat in and slowing the rate at which the heat is lost. The same is true of your home. The insulation installed in your home slows the flow of heat (either out or in).
In America, the effectiveness of insulation is measured on the R – scale, the R stands for resistance. The higher the number, the better at insulating it is.
Materials
Insulation can be made up of tons of different materials, not all of them the best (at insulating or for your health, you’ve probably heard of asbestos?). Things like cellulose, glass wool, rock wool, urethane foam, polystyrene, vermiculite, perlite, wood fiber, plant fiber, recycled cotton denim, animal fibers, cement, or even earth/soil.
The material we use for all of our insulation work is Owens Corning blown-in wool at the recommended R30 level. It’s the best, and healthiest, for homeowners. Blown-in wool insulation ensures there are no particles floating in the air to mess with your breathing (an unfortunately common problem with fiberglass insulation).
Why Insulation is Important
Heat can transfer through windows, walls, ceilings, floors, and doors. No matter where the heat sneaks in or slips out – it’s a problem! The outside influence on your indoor temperatures means your AC or heating system has to work harder to get to the temperature you set it at. It makes the whole system less efficient, costing you more money in energy, and repairs as your HVAC overworks itself.
Benefits of Insulation
Using the right insulation improves a whole host of things for your home!
- REDUCES COOLING COSTS
- SAVES ENERGY USAGE
- IMPROVES INDOOR AIR & OVERALL HEALTH
- UNIFORM TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT YOUR HOME
- IMPROVES HEAT TRANSFER DURING WINTER & SUMMER
Is your energy bill abnormally high? Does your house never stay at the temperature you want it to? You might have an insulation insecurity! Give ACE Home Services a call and we can get your home insulated right before the summer heat gets here!
