Debunking Myths About Old-Home Insulation in Petaluma, CA
How old is your home? If you need to insulate an older home, you have to face several myths about insulation in Petaluma, CA. These rumors can affect your insulation choices, installation methods and the future energy efficiency of your house.
With all this in mind, it’s important to know what’s fact and what’s fiction. To sort out the truth, use the following debunking guide.
Myth: To insulate my older home, I should blow insulation into the walls.
This is a common mistake made by owners of older homes. Built with a lack of modern energy efficiency, older homes often have uninsulated walls and offer a cold, drafty interior. To combat this, homeowners logically conclude they should insulate the walls to make the home more comfortable and efficient. However, this can cause structural damage, encourage exterior paint failure and invite termites. The blown insulation can cause the walls to mold and rot due to improper airflow.
Myth: Insulation of older homes should begin in the walls.
Your insulation process should actually begin with the attic. A poorly insulated attic is a major source of heat loss in the winter and heat retention in the summer. Insulating this space will make a significant impact on the comfort level of your home and the bottom line on your utility bills.
Many older homes have unfinished attics that have not been conditioned properly for the climate. Add insulation to the underside of the roof, then blow insulation on the floor of the attic. This will barricade your home against the drafty air of the attic and keep the living spaces below more climate-controlled.
Myth: The first step to insulating the basement or crawl space of an older home is to place batts into the stud bays.
This sounds like a good idea, right? It is. In fact, this is exactly what you should do to insulate your older home’s basement or crawl space. This will insulate the floors above, making floors warmer and more inviting year-round.
The myth portion of the statement is that this should be your first step. Before you install the insulation, you should rodent-proof the space. Place wire screens around any openings or use foam spray to seal off any holes. The idea is to make sure no rodents can access the area, since the batting will be an inviting nesting place for these creatures. If you don’t properly seal the area first, rodents will quickly destroy your insulation in Petaluma, CA and create a mess of your home.
Myth: The cost of insulation is irrelevant because I will save so much over the years in utility bills.
Some quick math can easily debunk this myth. First, you might be spending money on the wrong type of insulation methods, as discussed previously. This will end up costing you more in repairs. Second, you should always evaluate the cost of a project vs. ROI. Consider this example: You spend $3,000 to have your house insulated. This saves you $200 a year on HVAC costs (a typical savings for owners of older homes). It will take you 15 years to recoup your investment. This might be worthwhile, or you might want to consider alternative methods of insulation in Petaluma, CA.
Ask the Myth Busters
Do you have questions about the best way to insulate your older home? Contact the experienced team at Ace Insulation Inc. today!
Categorised in: Home Insulation