Category: Home Insulation

While you might assume that your insulation is fine, the reality is that under insulation affects 90 percent of American homes, according to one industry study. If you haven’t added insulation to your home, it probably doesn’t have enough.

That’s because builders tend to get by with only providing the minimum amount of insulation required by law. This saves them money, but in the long run, you pay the cost in higher energy bills.

Let’s look at some of the most obvious signs of bad insulation and what to do about it.

Temperature instability

If your home is well insulated, temperatures throughout the home should be consistent. If you’re freezing in the living room but too hot in the bedroom, this is a sign of under insulation. When your home is properly insulated, it’s easy to set your thermostat at the temperature you want and then enjoy the comfort.

High energy bills

One of the most noticeable signs of bad insulation is that your energy bills are higher than expected. If you’re noticing spikes compared to prior years and energy prices haven’t gone up, then insulation is likely the culprit.

That’s because insulation is responsible for keeping the indoor air, well, indoors. Poorly-insulated homes will let in hot outdoor air in the summer and cold outdoor air in the winter. Plus, all the work your HVAC unit has done to cool or heat the home will be rendered moot if that air simply escapes.

Water leaks

If part of your attic is consistently becoming wet and moldy following heavy rain, it’s likely that your insulation has been damaged. This means it’s time to fix the leak and replace the wet insulation with new material.

Drafts

If you’re experiencing fluctuating temperatures, you may notice that winds are penetrating the house. Many homeowners are surprised that these drafts are actually due to poor insulation. For those struggling with mysterious drafts whipping through the home, it’s time to invest in new insulation.

Too much noise

Insulation works behind the scenes to keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter—but it serves other functions as well. One of those is muffling noises that come from within the home and from outside. If you’re having trouble sleeping at night due to outdoor noises, it could be due to a lack of insulation.

Cold interior walls

Are your interior walls cold to the touch? You might think this is normal, but it’s actually not. A lack of insulation is often the culprit if the walls, floors or ceilings are noticeably cold.

Are you looking for the leader in insulation services? Then look no further. Ace Insulation Inc. has been serving customers for more than a decade. Our combined 100-plus years of experience in the industry means we’ve seen it all. We have the knowledge and resources to get the job done right the first time, every time. Give us a call today to find out more and ask for a free estimate.

When you look at a house, insulation might not be the first thing that comes to mind. As it’s not visible in the home, it doesn’t command much of our attention.

But the advantages of home insulation are numerous—and without it, you won’t be able to effectively cool or heat your home.

Let’s look at the importance of home insulation.

Comfort

One of the biggest benefits of home insulation is that you and your family will be more comfortable. During the hot months of the summer, you want the cool air your HVAC unit is pumping out to stay in the home. Quality insulation ensures that the air outdoors only comes inside if you want it to, like when you leave the windows open. Without home insulation, get ready to rely on fans during the summer and bundle up during the colder months.

Energy efficiency

In many cases of poor home insulation, your response will likely be to fiddle with the thermostat. The fact is that a home that is not well insulated will lose up to 30 percent of the air pumped in. Air leaks out via poorly-insulated windows and through attics that are not insulated enough. This leads to higher cooling and heating bills. The importance of home insulation becomes clear when you get an energy bill at the end of the month.

Health benefits

One of the more surprising advantages of home insulation is the health benefits. The fact is that proper home insulation means a better-functioning HVAC unit, which will improve your respiratory health. On cold nights, you won’t have to pump up the heat, which will help your immune system fight off viruses. One study found that insulation led to 240 fewer premature deaths every year, along with fewer sick days and asthma attacks.

Property value

Home buyers are more and more interested in energy efficiency. Whether they’re concerned about lowering their carbon footprint or saving money (or both!), people are more aware of how much energy they’re using. Investing in home insulation means that you’re using less energy to cool and heat your home. In fact, home values increase at a rate of $20 for every dollar you save on annual utility bills—so you get to save money now and more money later when you sell your home!

Sound

You might not realize it, but insulation has a major impact on sound traveling through the home. With more people working at home than ever before, you may find it important to muffle sounds that reverberate and prove distracting. Insulation helps absorb the sounds that bounce around off the walls, floors and ceiling, making your home a quieter and more peaceful place to be.

Whether you’re building a new home or investing in your current home, Ace Insulation Inc. is here as your premier insulation experts. Our team is proud to be a locally-owned and -operated business offering quality products and skilled services. Contact us today to learn more about our services and request a free quote.

There are many things you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your home. One of the most effective things you can do is make sure your home is well insulated. This goes beyond just the insulation in the walls of your home.

Here’s some helpful information to keep in mind about how energy efficiency and insulation go hand in hand.

Insulation keeps heating costs down

The main purpose of insulation is to keep the inside of your home at a stable temperature, no matter what the weather may be like outside. It does this by creating a barrier to absorb heat and keep it from transferring that warmth. This works to keep heat inside your home when it’s cold outside as much as it does to keep heat out when you want it to stay cool inside.

According to the United States Department of Energy, about 50 percent of heat loss in residential buildings (and 60 percent of heat in commercial buildings) escapes through walls, foundations and the roof. It makes sense, then, to insulate these areas and to possibly cut down on the amount of heat loss your building will experience.

Beyond the walls

Insulation is important to have in the walls of your home, but it’s also important to have in the high and low places, too. That means the attic and floor should be insulated, especially to protect against heat loss in the winter months.

Heat will naturally rise to the highest point in a space—and that’s the attic. You could be losing a lot of heat through the attic of your home even if you don’t realize it. The same goes for the floors: If you don’t have insulation beneath the flooring of your home, be it carpet, hardwood or something else, you could be losing a lot of heat right into the ground.

Another part of insulation is how well the windows and doors in your home are sealed. Even a little gap can let a steady stream of cold air in or out. A tight seal is an important insulation tool against heat transfer. Make sure your windows shut tightly and there are no gaps in the sealing of the frame. Also, check to see if the weatherstripping on your doors is in good shape. You should do this at the beginning of winter and replace them as needed.

Beyond the minimum

The effectiveness of a given insulation material is measured by its R-value. There are standards for R-values, as well as minimum requirements for homes and commercial buildings, but that doesn’t mean you have to go with the bare minimum. Depending on your home and energy use, it might make sense to go with a more effective insulation beyond the minimum requirement.

To determine what type of insulation is best for your home, it’s best to have a professional come for an inspection. When you’re ready to upgrade the energy efficiency of your home with new insulation, contact Ace Insulation Inc. today.

If you want to increase your home value, one good way is by adding insulation to your home. There are several ways this will increase your home value. Two big reasons are that it will make your home more comfortable to live in and it will cut down on energy costs.

Whether you are looking to make your home more cost efficient for you and your family to live in or you’re looking for a return on investment for a potential sale, insulation is a solid choice for increasing your home’s value.

Here are some more details on how adding home insulation can increase the value of your home.

Resale value

One thing you can do to help your home stand apart on the housing market is to make it as green as possible. Many buyers are looking not only to save money on energy costs in their new home to also reduce their carbon footprint on the Earth. Performing energy-efficiency upgrades on your home is a good way to work toward both of these goals.

This includes making sure your home has good insulation. Not only in spaces you occupy frequently, like the living room, bedroom or kitchen, but in spaces where heat might escape in colder months, like the attic or garage.

Home insulation has a great return on investment (ROI), too. Because it won’t suffer the same kind of wear and tear as other home upgrades, like kitchen remodeling or hardwood floors, its value remains intact years after the work is done. A 2016 report by Remodeling Magazine showed that attic insulation, in particular, was the most profitable energy-efficiency upgrade one can perform on their home, with a 117 percent ROI rate.

Energy efficiency

Another reason why home insulation is a good investment toward the value of your home is that you will immediately start to see the financial benefits of adding insulation while you live in the home. Your energy bills will start to decrease because you won’t need to run the heater or air conditioner as often. This will be especially helpful in the colder winter months or when the next heat wave hits.

But it’s not just about saving money—there’s quality of life to consider, too. On a hot day, there’s nothing like coming home to that cool rush of perfectly-chilled air hitting you in the face as you open the door. Instead of having to go to a movie theater to take advantage of the air conditioning, you can relax in the comfort of your own home and enjoy the same experience.

And when the weather gets cold, you won’t feel the bite of winter when you get up for a glass of water in the middle of the night. Your family (and your pets!) will be comfortable year-round—and that’s something that is hard to put a price on.

Insulation is not only a solid investment financially in your home, but it’s a great way to enhance your quality of life. When you’re ready to have insulation added to your home, contact Ace Insulation Inc. today.

There are all kinds of tips out there to help homeowners save money, but the best money-saving tips are those that offer additional benefits, like improved home comfort and reduced energy waste. One of the best things homeowners can do to save money and enjoy additional benefits is insulate their homes.

Home insulation is crucial when it comes to improving the performance and efficiency of HVAC systems and reducing moisture intrusion during the fall and winter months. If you’re wondering how home insulation can help cut your household costs, keep reading to learn more.

How does insulation save money?

A lot of homeowners don’t realize that insulation can contribute to cost savings, but the reality is that effective home insulation can actually make a huge difference when it comes to your household expenses. Insulation is designed to regulate your indoor temperature by blocking airflow from outside. During the summer months, effective insulation blocks thermal heat transfer to keep indoor air cool. In the winter months, meanwhile, insulation blocks drafts and keeps warm air inside.

Keeping indoor temperatures consistent is key when it comes to minimizing energy waste when using heating and cooling systems. The more effective your insulation is, the easier it is to maintain the desired temperature in your home. By keeping indoor temperatures steady, insulation reduces the need for constant heating and cooling cycles. The more an HVAC system turns on and off, the more energy it requires to operate. This constant cycling can lead to significant energy waste over time that seriously drives up costs for homeowners.

Good insulation minimizes waste by supporting the effective operation of home HVAC systems, which can translate to major cost savings for homeowners. In fact, many homeowners experience energy savings of 15 percent or more after investing in insulation upgrades. This kind of reduction in energy use can save homeowners hundreds of dollars a year. Over time, the money saved with insulation installation can exceed the cost of insulation upgrades. Even though insulation can be a big investment for homeowners, it can really pay off over time.

Another way in which home insulation can benefit homeowners is by increasing the value of a home. Insulation upgrades can contribute to an average home value increase of around $1,500. Considering the fact that insulation upgrades typically cost between $1,000 and $2,000, and taking into account the energy-saving benefits of insulation upgrades, the cost of upgrading insulation can be well worth the cost and offer returns that are greater than the upfront investment.

Upgrade your home insulation

For quality home insulation to cut your energy costs and keep your home as comfortable as possible throughout the year, reach out to Ace Insulation Inc. Our locally owned and operated business has been providing customers with comprehensive insulation services to keep their homes comfortable, energy efficient and resilient to the elements. We offer a variety of insulation options, including cellulose, fiberglass, blown-in insulation and more so you can get the material and performance that’s perfect for your needs. Find out more about our services by giving our team a call today.