Installing insulation to your home is probably the least glamorous of home improvements, but it’s one of the most worthwhile. The right insulation will protect your home from the external elements as well as lower your heating and cooling costs.
If you’re doing a project that requires you to open up the walls, ceilings, or floors, it’s a smart idea to add insulation at the same time.
New Insulation Means Big Savings
Insulation in the home is much more valuable than most people realize. According to an infographic from GreenHomeGnome.com, the average American family spends nearly $2,000 on home utility bills each year.
How to Choose the Best Home Insulation – Your heating and cooling costs account for 54 percent of that total. The largest factor in high heating and cooling costs is escaping air from poor insulation. On average, 60 percent of escaped heat and air conditioning results from poor insulation, and that occurs through the roof and walls of your home.
The infographic also shows that the average family saves 40 percent on heating and cooling costs after new insulation has been installed. In addition, this increases your home’s value, and it’s not hard to earn back the money you spent on initial installation.
For the average homeowner, it takes just five to six years for the insulation to pay for itself in reduced utility bills.
Choose the Right Type of Insulation
The benefits of adding new insulation to your home are highly persuasive. However, not every type of insulation is suitable for every setting.
There are several types of insulation out there, and the best kind for you depends on several factors, including the size of the project and the section of your house you’re redoing. Though many kinds of insulation can be used in every part of your home, others are best left for certain areas.
For example, many people prefer to use different types of insulation for their attic than they use in the walls. When it’s time to change the insulation in your home, start by researching the best type for your specific project.
Below are the most common and effective insulation options to choose from.
Spray Foam
Spray foam insulation is excellent for delivering a strong, airtight finish. As the name suggests, it gets sprayed into your walls, ceilings, floors, and attics in a liquid form using a special applicator.
The foam hardens almost immediately to form a solid, airtight shield for the interior of your home that will block exterior air and the elements. The airtight finish offers several extra benefits as insulation, since it helps to keep air from both escaping and entering your home. Typically, there are no places for mold or mildew to grow, which helps to keep your home safe from allergens.
One of the things that makes spray foam insulation such an attractive option is that it has one of the highest R-values of all. Higher R-values means that it’s more resistant to weather and exterior elements and provides a tighter seal for your home.
The drawback of spray foam insulation is the initial cost. It’s not typically a project you can do yourself because it requires high-tech equipment.
However, spray foam will save you money in the long run. The reduced heating and cooling costs, the low maintenance, and long-lasting attributes of this form of insulation make it a great option for any room.
Fiberglass Batt
If you’re on a very tight budget for your insulation project, fiberglass batt may be your best option. It’s a very effective insulation method for the cost, because it’s both energy efficient and environmentally friendly, and it’s highly resistant to the elements.
The R-value for fiberglass batt depends on the type of insulation you purchase. Some have higher R-values than others. This is something you can discuss with your contractor to determine the type you should purchase.
One of the best features of a fiberglass batt is that it doesn’t settle over time. Many other types of batting, such as cellulose, will settle and shrink and eventually need to be replaced.
Batts have a much longer lifespan. They also provide excellent thermal efficiency in trapping air and saving costs on heating and cooling.
To top it off, fiberglass batt is both fire- and water-resistant, which means your home enjoys better protection from flammability, mold, mildew, and other allergens that can affect your health. It’s also one of the best types of insulation for soundproofing a home, particularly in your walls, floors, and attic.
Blown-In Fiberglass
Another name for blown-in fiberglass is loose-fill fiberglass. It’s essentially blown into an area through a special tube.
Blown-in fiberglass insulation is not suitable for every situation. By itself, it’s not a great insulator for your walls, for example.
However, it can provide an extremely effective insulator for filling in the smaller nooks and crevices of an area, and act as a shield for those hard-to-reach areas, such as attic spaces or very tight corners.
This highly affordable, versatile, eco-friendly, and effective method for shielding every inch of your home, even the hard-to-reach places, is often used as a supplement to more traditional forms of insulation. Loose-fill insulation by itself is prone to settling, but it does a fine job for filling in the areas a traditional batt can’t reach.
The R-value for blown-in fiberglass is also high, since it’s resistant to heat, moisture, and sound, and it effectively traps air inside to help keep your home as safe and protected from the elements as possible.
Blown-In Blanket
One of the most effective types of insulation is known as blown-in blanket. This is made to fit the specific contours of your home so it provides maximum protection for the space.
It’s a patented process in which the contractor blows blanket insulation made from wool into every crevice along the interior surfaces. It carries a much higher R-value than traditional batts, since batts lose their effectiveness when crammed into a smaller area.
Blown-in blanket insulation covers all areas, and creates a strong shield to keep out unnecessary air. This type is more expensive because a professional must operate the patented technology.
However, this means you receive a satisfaction guarantee with your insulation, which means you’re likely to be happy with the overall product over time. It also works extremely well in combination with other types of insulation.
Contact Affordable Insulation Today
Affordable Insulation is Tulsa’s first choice for economical and effective insulation. We offer both great products and great service at competitive pricing.
We’ll help you make the best choices for your home’s benefit, through our professionalism and excellent customer service. If you’re interested in having customer-oriented professionals install your insulation, click here today for a free estimate on any insulation service!
