How To Insulate Your Home

There are a lot of things being said and discussed on home insulation such as insulation methods, types of insulation, insulation materials as well as the areas of home that are critical to be insulated. But still many people do not know about home insulation and its impact on energy usage. If your house is not insulated from heat transfer, you are missing a very important aspect in your house. And that might explain the high utility cost that has plagued your energy bill every month.

To lower the energy cost of your house, there are many things that can be done such as using energy efficient appliances. That might save you some money by lowering your monthly utility cost. But the biggest impact to electricity cost is to insulate your home from heat transfer. Some experts say that the attic alone can use up to more than 20% of your total household utility cost. The reason here is that the attic is the biggest component of your house and heat is often being transferred to higher area in the house. Therefore, home attic insulation is one area of the house that should be seriously considered and checked when you are renovating or even when you are buying a new house.

There are few things you can do in the attic to prevent heat loss. Knowing that heat loss is the single major cause to higher electricity bill, you can insulate the attic to lower heat loss which will save you approximately 10 to 15% of total energy usage. There are different types of insulation methods you can install in the attic. One of which is the attic blown in insulation where a special equipment is used to blow insulation material such as fiberglass to cover the attic floor. You need to know that there are two types of attic, namely open and close attic. A different approach is required to insulate both of these attics. Therefore, it is best to do some research before going straight to install the insulation.

Apart from attic, other areas of the house that require insulation are the basement, wall, roof, windows, door and the ceiling since most heat is lost through these areas. Different insulation types are required to insulate these areas and different insulation materials are required as well. Some commonly used insulation methods are foam insulation, batt and rolls as well as reflective. Each uses different materials for insulation. The most commonly used materials are fiberglass, wool and recycled paper since they are the most affordable. More recent sophisticated materials are being developed such as the polyurethane foam used in spray foam insulation.

In conclusion, home insulation is one part of the house that should be installed to lower electricity cost. It can not only reduce heat loss but also increases the resale value of your house. It is a long term investment. The thing about home insulation is that only a one time payment is needed and you can enjoy the comfort of home for the next 20 to 30 years.