Category: Home Insulation

Springtime is here, and summer is just around the corner. You may be considering taking on a remodeling or renovation project in your home this year, and if so, you may consider performing an energy audit on your home. This type of inspection is used to determine how much energy your home uses, and what the most effective methods are to make your home more energy efficient.

What you’ll frequently find is that by replacing the insulation in certain parts of your home, you’ll be able to cut down on quite a bit of your energy usage. While upgrades to your insulation aren’t necessarily the most exciting job you can tackle in your home, especially since there’s no real aesthetic value to it, there are still plenty of other reasons why insulation upgrades can be extremely beneficial to your home.

With this in mind, checking your insulation this spring can be a great place to start. Here are just a few reasons why focusing on your insulation in northern California could be a great idea for you as you get ready for your remodeling this year:

• Cut down on energy costs: By replacing your insulation, you can save anywhere from 5 to 30 percent on your monthly energy bills. Those savings add up significantly over time. Spring is the perfect time of year to make these upgrades, because you don’t have to worry about extreme temperatures. You’ll then be able to get the full benefits of the improved R-value offered by your insulation once the heat of summer hits.
• Improve your air quality: Inspecting your insulation could result in your finding some serious issues with wet, moldy insulation and poor ventilation, all of which can cause major air quality problems in your home and potential issues with asthma, allergies and other respiratory conditions. Your inspector can determine whether the insulation you currently have in your home meets the basic safe living standards, and can also give you some ideas about how you can improve your home’s air quality by upgrading your insulation. Air quality is something you should never feel like you need to compromise on, so if your insulation is potentially hazardous to your health in its current state, it’s a good idea to do something about it.
• Improve your home’s value: Insulation is one of the jobs homeowners tend to take on if they’re looking at putting it on the market sometime soon. But even if you have no plans of selling your home, it’s still a job that can add quite a bit of value to your property, and it will have a good return on investment. An energy efficient home is more attractive to buyers, as it offers them chances to save money and stay more reliably comfortable.

These are just a few examples of some of the biggest benefits associated with upgrading your insulation in northern California. Reach out to Ace Insulation Inc. today to learn more about our services or to schedule a consultation.

Insulation is an essential component of any building or structure. Not only does insulation help you regulate and maintain the temperature in your home to increase your comfort throughout the year, it can also make a big difference when it comes to the energy efficiency of your home and the amount that you spend on power to heat and cool your home. To ensure that you are getting the best value possible out of your insulation, consider the types of insulation that are best for energy conservation and cost savings.

Most efficient insulation types

The efficiency of your insulation can have a big impact on the amount of money you spend every year on your energy bills. By selecting insulation in Northern California that offers high levels of efficiency, you can enjoy long-term cost benefits throughout the year. While all insulation is designed to deliver effective performance to help regulate temperatures in commercial and residential buildings, not all insulation materials offer the same level of efficiency. With that in mind, it’s important to consider the types of insulation that are going to offer the best efficiency and energy savings possible. Two of the most energy efficient insulation options are cellulose and spray foam insulation.

Cellulose insulation in Northern California is made up primarily of recycled fibers like newspapers, along with additional components designed to repel insects and reduce the flammability of your insulation. Because cellulose is made up mostly of recycled materials, it is considered one of the most eco-friendly insulation products. Cellulose insulation offers a similar level of insulation as fiberglass, but it’s also far more versatile. Cellulose can be blown into cavities, which makes it possible to insulate inside walls when all you have is a small access hole. This makes it easy to insulate spaces like attics without deconstructing your walls or going through extensive installation projects.

Spray foam insulation is another efficient insulation option. Spray foam is applied as a liquid and hardens and cures into a solid foam material that stops airflow and prevents drafts and thermal heat transfer. Unlike other fibrous types of insulation, spray foam acts as a total seal. Because of the strength of the seal that spray foam insulation creates, it offers incredible efficiency in many homes. However, spray foam insulation isn’t suitable for every space, so it’s important to get professional recommendations before you make a decision about any insulation material for your home. They will be able to give you a consultation to help you find the right type of insulation.

Find high-quality insulation in Northern California

You can find out more about all of your options when it comes to insulation in Northern California by reaching out to the team at Ace Insulation Inc. For years, we have been proud to provide comprehensive insulation services for commercial and residential customers alike. As a locally owned and operated business, we are dedicated to the quality of our services and the satisfaction of our customers. You can find out more about everything that we have to offer by giving our team a call today.

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!

Are you tired of hearing the TV blaring from the living room while you’re trying to sleep at night? Does it seem like your monthly energy bills have surged over the past year? Are you always cold in some rooms in your home? Over time, your existing insulation can begin to break down and lose its effectiveness, which results in heat transfer and lets sound through. Adding insulation to the interior walls of your home may be the answer to all of these problems.

Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t realize adding insulation in Petaluma, CA to existing walls without causing any damage is even an option. However, a professional insulation specialist can easily install new insulation without having to tear off the drywall and destroy the wall. This simple upgrade can actually significantly improve the comfort level of the space and provide some relief to residents who are sick of hearing their housemates or neighbors. Let’s take a look at how insulation is added to pre-existing walls, and how it can benefit you.

Why insulate interior walls?

Adding more insulation to an interior wall has the following benefits:

• Improved energy efficiency: The interior walls play a major role in keeping a home properly heated or cooled. The insulation reduces heat transfer, which keeps the treated air in and the outside air out. Because of this, the air conditioner or furnace won’t have to work as hard to maintain the set temperature. This could reduce your monthly energy costs.
• Dampens sound: Insulating interior walls will reduce the transfer of sound between rooms. Sound can easily travel through an uninsulated wood frame. The insulation acts as a barrier to dampen the sound by up to 80 percent.
• Masks smells: Outside smells can be dangerous to your health. Many of the smells found in most garages—like gasoline, paint and exhaust—can seep through the wall and into the home, leading to asthma attacks and other serious health issues. Insulating any walls attached to the garage will keep the emissions from entering the home. It will also keep allergens out.

How is new insulation added to existing walls?

There are a few different options for insulating interior walls that are already in place. The most common insulation choice for this type of job is spray foam insulation in Petaluma, CA. The foam is forced into difficult areas, such as around wires and boxes. Other insulation types tend to get stuck around any obstructions. An insulation specialist will simply create a small hole in the wall and spray in the new foam insulation before patching and painting the entry point. The whole process is very simple and requires very little disruption to the wall. Another option is blown insulation. This is more cost effective than spray foam insulation, but it can settle in hollow spaces and cling to any obstructions within the wall.

Ace Insulation Inc. is here to help

Do you have any more questions about insulation in Petaluma, CA for interior walls? Then call Ace Insulation Inc. today. As a locally owned insulation company, we specialize in providing the right insulation for your needs, whether you are building a new home or renovating an existing space. Call us today to schedule your free consultation!