An Introduction to Insulation

Electricity bills, oil bills, gas bills--all homeowners pay for one or more of these utilities, and wish they paid less. Often many of us do not really know how to control or reduce our utility bills. We resign ourselves to high bills because we think that is the price we have to pay for a comfortable home. We encourage our children to turn off the lights and appliances, but may not recognize the benefits of insulating the attic.

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Before You Insulate

You Must Control Air Leakage

Most homeowners are aware that air leaks into their houses through what seem to be small openings around doors and window frames and through fireplaces and chimneys. Air also enters the living space from other unheated parts of the house, such as attics, basements, or crawl spaces.

The air travels through any openings in your walls, floors, or ceilings, such as cracks where two walls meet, where the wall meets the ceiling, or near interior doo...

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Blown In Insulation

Blown in insulation is generally used in attics and walls that have no insulation. It is a popular alternative to fiberglass and uses a natural wood product called cellulose. Cellulose is a recycled paper material mixed with class 1 fire retardent chemicals. It is a lightweight easy to use material that comes in small compact blocks that are fed into a insulation blowing machine. The machine consists of a hopper to receive materials and a mixer and fan which blow the materials through a 4-5"...

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Can I install it myself?

Whether or not you install the insulation yourself depends on the structural design of your house and the type of materials used in its construction.

Placing insulation in the attic floor is usually easy, requiring only laying the material between the parallel joists of the frame. Be careful about where you step in the attic. Walk only on the joists so that you won't fall through the drywall ceiling. You may need to place walking boards across the tops of the joists to make the ...

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Cellulose Insulation

Cellulose insulation is made from recycled paper that is applied as loose fill. It is generally treated with fire and insect retardant materials.

I recently insulated my attic with cellulose and it was quick and easy. I have seen a considerable differnece in the overall temperature regulation in my home as well as cost savings.

Basically what you do is rent an insulation blowing machine and buy bundles of insulation materials. You then feed the materials into the insulatio...

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Determining The R Value of Insulation

To calculate the correct R Value for your home insulation project you must consider a few factors including the coverage area, type of climate and heating system in the home. The R Value indicates an insulation's resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the overall insulating effectiveness.

R Values can vary depending on the location of the insulation, wheather it is compressed or not and there are even diffences between walls and ceiling R Values.

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Does Your Home Need More Insulation?

To begin to answer this question, you must first find out how much insulation you already have and then determine how much more would be cost-effective.

Many older homes have less insulation than homes built today. A qualified home energy auditor will include an insulation check as a routine part of an energy audit. For information about home energy audits, call your local utility company. State energy offices are another valuable resource for information. An energy audit of your h...

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Fibergalss Insulation

The most common insulation material used is made of fiberglass. It is a pink material that comes in blankets or rolls. Fiberglass insulation has different ratings or r-values which indicate overall thermal resistance and effectiveness in certain conditions.

Basically the freater the r-value the greater the effectiveness.

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How Does Insulation Work for You?

Heat flows naturally from a warmer to a cooler space. In the winter, this heat flow moves directly from all heated living spaces to adjacent unheated attics, garages, and basements, or to the outdoors; or indirectly through interior ceilings, walls, and floors--wherever there is a difference in temperature.

During the cooling season, heat flows from outdoors to the house interior. To maintain comfort, the heat lost in winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gain...

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Insulation Priorities

It is most important to:

* Insulate your attic to the recommended level, including the attic door, or hatch cover.

* Provide the recommended level of insulation under floors above unheated spaces, around walls in a heated basement or unventilated crawl space, and on the edges of slabs-on-grade.

* Use the recommended levels of insulation for exterior walls for new house construction. When remodeling or re-siding your house, consider using the...

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