How Does Insulation Keep a House Cool?

June 17, 2020

Adding or upgrading your home insulation in Northern California is one of the best ways you can take control of the interior temperatures of your home and cut down on the amount of energy you have to spend on heating and cooling.

Let’s take a closer look at insulation and how it works.

Insulation helps you maintain consistent temperatures

Insulation is material that gets installed in your walls, ceiling and floor to serve as a barrier between your home and the outdoors. It makes it easier for your home to stay cool during the summer and warm in winter. Insulation in the roof and ceiling is especially important, as that’s where most heat transfer and energy loss occurs, so having proper, high-quality insulation is crucial to lowering your energy bills.

While insulation is best installed while building a home or renovating, you can take on a basic insulation upgrade job at just about any time. Doing so will help you maintain consistent temperatures, cut down on the amount of energy you expend on heating and cooling (thus reducing your heating and cooling bills each month) and ultimately make your home much more comfortable for everyone in it.

The ability to cut energy expenditures doesn’t just reduce the amount of money you spend on your utility bills—it also helps you protect the environment. By using less energy, you will cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, lowering your carbon footprint.

Types of insulation

There are several types of insulation you can purchase. When looking for new insulation, the primary factor you’ll want to consider is its R-value, which measures its ability to resist heat leaking in or out. The higher the R-value, the better the protection. The amount of insulation you need will depend on your climate and home—areas with wider temperature swings will benefit greatly from a higher R-value:

  • Blanket batts and rolls: This type of insulation is typically made out of fiberglass, though you can also find wool, cotton and plastic fiber versions. This is an inexpensive type of insulation that can be easily installed by a homeowner, and will be designed to fit between wall studs, rafters and floor joists. Always wear protective clothing and masks while working with batts and rolls.
  • Spray foam: Spray foam insulation fills up any gaps inside existing walls. You spray it into the wall cavity, and then it expands and hardens into a foam. When you use closed-cell foam, this will give you outstanding R-value, but will be more expensive.
  • Blown-in: Blown-in insulation is a paper-like material that gets blown in using a machine. It will conform to fit just about any type of location.
  • Foam board: Foam boards and panels are ideal for insulating floors or low-slope roofs without vents. This type of foam is generally a polyurethane or polystyrene material. It’s frequently used for foundation and basement walls as well.

For more information about the various types of insulation and how upgrading your home insulation in Northern California can make a big difference in your comfort, energy costs and utility expenses, contact Ace Insulation Inc. today.

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