What You Need to Know Before Doing Insulation Replacement

Posted by Rajiv Pratap Singh
6
May 9, 2017
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According to HVAC experts, insulation is the best line of defense for keeping your home warm during winter and cold during summer. When your home’s upstairs is too cold in the winter months or even too warm in the summer months and the energy bills starts to rise, it means that you will need a professional insulator. With weather-stripping and proper insulation, it is possible to minimize your HVAC costs by up to 20%.

One of the ways that you can tell that the insulation is not working right in the house exterior is when you see some large ice dams or even the huge icicles that will hang down your home’s overhang. Where your home tend to heat up fast during the summer month, this could be a sign that the insulation isn’t keeping  heat from the home and may be  have been compromised.

If you are looking for a way of making the home to be more energy-efficient through the addition of insulation, there are various options like cellulose, spray foam and fiberglass.

Understanding Energy Audits

Before you do insulation replacement, a good idea would be to hire an energy auditor who will see whether the home will require some more insulation or if there will be need for complete replacement. The role of the energy auditor is to show the homeowners how tight or leaky the house is and the location of the bypasses. The energy auditor will also check the water heater and furnace to ensure that these are operating in the right manner. The good thing with doing an energy audit is that it may even qualify you for the rebates from the energy companies.

Before you can have the energy audit done, a good idea would be to check whether there is any exposed insulation in the home. The key barrier for preventing loss of heat when it gets to the attic is attic floor insulation.  In case there are visible joints, this is an indication that the amount of insulation is not enough. Even though it can prove difficult to check the insulation’s condition in most areas of the home, a good idea would be to hire a professional who can carry out an energy audit.

Homes that are more than ten years old are not usually up to standard when it comes to insulation. This means that unless your home was recently built, it may not be insulated in the right manner.

Find Out the R-value


Many professional insulators suggest that 2/3 of the homes in New Zealand are not properly insulated. This results in daft on top of heat loss during winter as well as penetration of heat during summer which can cause damage to the roof of the home. When there is escape of warm and moist air from the home into the cold attic during winter, this can result in frosts as well as moisture on the roof sheathing’s backside.

Where the service provider recommends that you add insulation, you should ask them to provide you with the R-value. This is what will indicate the insulation’s durability and its ability to prevent heat penetration. If the R-value is higher, this means that the insulation will be more effective.

Choose the Right Attic Insulation Company

It is important to ensure that you do your homework before you can hire an attic insulation professional. Any reputable company should be in a position to provide you with advice on the right R-value and type of insulation that will work best for your location. Ask for estimates from several companies before you can make a decision.
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