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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.

If you thought insulation is just important for blocking cold air during the winter months, think again! Home insulation in Northern California is crucial in all four seasons, but especially in the summertime, when you need to reduce heat transfer and remain comfortable inside. This post will teach you everything there is to know about heat transfer and insulation in the summertime:

• Lowers attic heat: The roof is where the majority of heat transfer starts in a home. The roof absorbs sunlight and outdoor heat and disperses it throughout the attic. If you’ve been in an unfinished attic in the middle of the summer, you’ve experienced this heat transfer firsthand! Adding more insulation in the attic or upgrading what you already have is the best way to stop heat transfer.
• Maintains home temperature: It’d be nice if that heat up in the attic would stay there, but that’s not how heat transfer works. That heat from the attic must go somewhere, and it typically radiates down into your living space. The best way to reduce heat transfer to your home and maintain a steady internal temperature is to add insulation to the flooring in your attic. Blown-in insulation is usually the preferred insulation type for this project.
• Reduces energy bills: If your house has better insulation up in the attic, your AC unit won’t have to work as hard to cool your living space. If your AC isn’t working as hard, it won’t suck up as much energy. Adding insulation could save you hundreds of dollars on your heating and cooling costs throughout the year, and it can be a DIY project in some situations.

What should be done?

There’s no reason to live in an uncomfortably hot home or pay outrageous energy bills during the summer. Nip those problems in the bud by following these steps:

• Get an energy audit: The first step in the process of lowering the temperature and reducing heat transfer is getting an energy audit. A professional energy audit will determine where the weak spots are in your home and help us come up with a plan to fix them.
• Add more insulation: If your energy audit determines that your home is under-insulated, adding home insulation in Northern California is a no-brainer. Talk to the professionals at Ace Insulation Inc. today about how adding insulation is a fast and affordable way to stay cool and save a ton of money this summer.
• Consider upgrading your insulation: You might also want to upgrade your current insulation if what you already have is outdated. New spray foam insulation is much more effective than fiberglass—you could save 40 percent on your energy costs by switching today.

With summer heat on its way, there’s never been a better time to add or upgrade your home insulation in Northern California! Whether you’re looking to improve your attic insulation with spray foam or bolster what you currently have, our team at Ace Insulation Inc. can get the job done. Get in touch today to schedule an appointment.

When most people think of home insulation in Northern California, it’s safe to assume they think it just protects them from harsh winter weather. However, that’s not the case—insulation works 24/7, 365 days a year to keep homes comfortable while lowering energy bills. Keep reading to learn more about how your home’s insulation works during the steamy summer months:

• Retains cool air: You may not notice it, but interior air leaks out through your walls and ceiling throughout the summer. Insulation is your top defense against this air leakage, which makes your home less comfortable and is a huge waste of energy.
• Diminishes heat gain: While the insulation works to keep conditioned air in, it’s also ensuring that hot air stays out. Though some types of siding and roof tiles can reduce heat gain from outside, insulation is the best defender. Proper insulation throughout your home, and particularly up in the attic, blocks a ton of heat from creeping in.
• Reduces AC unit strain: The less your AC unit has to work during the summer to cool your home, the better. An AC system in an under-insulated house is more likely to break down sooner, as it constantly has to cycle on and off to cool the space. Updating your insulation can prevent these breakdowns and prolong the lifespan of your unit.

Where should insulation be added?

Adding more home insulation in Northern California is the key to lower energy bills and a more comfortable living space. Here are the key places to add insulation this spring:

• Attic: Your roof is responsible for most of the heat gain during the summer, so the attic is the top place you’ll want to add insulation. Blown-in insulation is a fine choice for the attic, but upgrading to spray foam insulation could save you big bucks during the summer months.
• Exterior walls: All exterior walls should already have insulation in them, but there’s not always enough insulation to keep a home comfortable and energy efficient. We recommend having an energy audit performed to determine which walls could benefit from some extra coverage.
• Garage: We find that many garages are under-insulated or don’t have any insulation at all. That’s not good! An attached garage should have just as much insulation as the rest of the home to further diminish heat gain during the summer.

Other ways to reduce interior heat this summer

Though bolstering your insulation is the best way to keep your home cool and lower your energy costs, it’s not all you can do. Opening windows and turning on ceiling fans improves air circulation throughout your house. Better airflow lowers the temperature without running the AC and racking up high energy bills.

Whether you’re a current homeowner looking to add more home insulation in Northern California or a builder working on a project, Ace Insulation Inc. is the team to call for your insulation needs. We offer a wide range of insulation services that are sure to meet your needs and fit within your budget.