Perth Insulation drastically improves your home’s ability to resist heat flow into and out of the structure. This reduces your energy bills and keeps you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Bulk insulation materials like cellulose and fiberglass contain air pockets that resist thermal energy transfer. The best insulators also resist the convective flow of air.
Insulation reduces energy consumption by slowing heat transfer between areas that differ in temperature. This helps to keep warm air inside in winter and cold outside in summer, reducing the need for heating and cooling. A properly installed insulation system can significantly lower your energy bills, putting more money in your pocket each month.
The effectiveness of insulation is measured by its R-value, which is the measure of resistance to the flow of heat through the material. The higher the R-value, the better the insulating power. Insulation comes in a variety of materials, including fiberglass, cellulose and spray foam. Foam insulation has the advantage of being highly effective in sealing air gaps, which are responsible for most of the energy loss in a home.
Adding insulation to your existing home is the most cost-effective way to improve your energy efficiency. A fully insulated home can reduce the energy needed to heat and cool by up to 40 percent. This means significant savings on your energy bills and a faster return on your investment.
Insulation is made from millions of tiny pockets of air. The still air has a high thermal resistance, which is why most insulation materials are effective at blocking the flow of heat in or out of your house. This high thermal resistance also contributes to the ability of some insulation materials to block the flow of sound.
Energy saving insulation also reduces the demand for fossil fuels to generate electricity, which in turn cuts greenhouse gas emissions and smog. The lower energy consumption and resulting carbon footprint can help to preserve non-renewable resources, reduce the risk of global warming and acid rain and protect ecosystems. There are even green insulation options available now that are made from recycled paper and natural soy, with no added formaldehyde.
Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The energy used to heat and cool buildings accounts for a significant portion of the average household’s carbon footprint. By installing insulation in your home, you can reduce your carbon footprint without sacrificing comfort. Most of the energy used in homes comes from fossil fuels like natural gas and coal that produce harmful greenhouse gases when burned to generate electricity. Proper insulation helps reduce the demand for these non-renewable resources, thereby cutting down on the need to build new power plants and transmission lines that are needed to meet growing electricity demands.
Insulation reduces operational energy consumption by limiting the transfer of heat from hot to cold areas in buildings. This energy savings leads to reduced emissions and lower fuel costs. By choosing an insulation material that has low embodied carbon, you can further minimize the environmental impact of your insulation.
Most forms of insulation have a relatively low embodied carbon, including the fiberglass and plastic foam types. By contrast, the manufacturing of some insulating materials emits a substantial amount of carbon. This embodied carbon is known as the “embodied energy of the insulation.”
However, there are many ways to lower the carbon embodied in insulation materials. In addition to avoiding the use of blowing agents that emit large amounts of CO2, there are also plant-based insulating materials that have negative embodied carbon and carbon sinks (some even act as carbon sinks!).
In fact, a KPMB study found that if all single-family homes in the U.S. used plastic spray foam insulation, it would save enough energy to reduce the annual CO2 emissions from residential home heating and cooling by 40%. This reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is equivalent to taking 40 million cars off the road each year!
Increases Home Value
Proper insulation increases home value, allowing homeowners to sell their property for higher prices. While a number of factors determine the resale value of a property, including location and features, quality insulation is an important factor in overall property value.
Upgrading your home with energy-efficient insulation is an inexpensive way to improve its comfort and increase resale value. It also offers many long-term benefits like lower utility bills, better air quality, reduced external noise levels, and a more resilient structure against mold and mildew.
While new siding and doors can be costly to install, a good quality attic insulation is one of the most cost-effective home improvement projects. It is one of the only renovations that will provide a 100% return on investment.
Home buyers are looking for energy-efficient properties and green features, particularly with rising mortgage interest rates. Upgrading your attic insulation with eco-friendly materials is an excellent strategy to attract buyers and increase resale value.
Insulation acts as a barrier between the conditioned space and the unconditioned outdoors, slowing conductive heat flow, and resisting thermal convection and radiation. It is available in several different forms, and can be installed into wall systems and other building cavities. Fiberglass, cellulose (recycled paper), and spray foam are common options.
Upgrading your attic with energy-efficient insulation is an inexpensive way of improving your home’s comfort and increasing its resale value. It is a smart investment that will pay dividends for years to come. Contact us to schedule an assessment and discuss your options. Our expert insulation contractors can help you choose the best solutions to save money, reduce emissions, and enhance your home’s resale value. With a little planning, your home will be ready for the future.
Reduces Insect Damage
Insulation is a powerful weapon in the fight against pests. It helps to prevent pest infestations in the first place by regulating temperatures and curtailing excessive moisture levels, both of which make homes attractive to pests. It can also keep pests away by blocking their access to food sources, like the warm air inside your home.
Insulations are made of nonmetallic materials filled with tiny spaces that slow the flow of heat. They work on the principle that thermal energy moves in three ways: conduction, convection and radiation. Conduction passes directly through the material, convection moves it by diffusion or convection currents and radiation travels in waves, similar to how we feel warmth from the sun. Good insulations are designed to minimize the flow of thermal energy through the walls and roof of a building.
Old insulation can be a hotbed for insects and rodents, which may cause problems in the home or business by spreading disease or triggering allergies in people living or working there. Rodents and insects can even cause structural damage to a building. Pest control insulation can help to protect people’s health by preventing pests from entering buildings and killing them if they do get in, as well as protecting the structure from damage and reducing maintenance costs.
Spray foam, cellulose and polyurethane are a few types of insulation that have built-in pest repellent. This is because they are made of flexible foams that expand to fill all gaps and nooks and crannies in the wall or attic. This type of insulation is very difficult for pests to penetrate and makes it more difficult for them to build nests or find shelter, and they are a good choice for a home that has experienced insect or rodent problems in the past.
Reduces Noise
Insulation is often linked to temperature regulation and energy efficiency, but it also has a beneficial effect on the sound levels in your home. Insulation helps to reduce the transmission of exterior noise and interior noise from one room to another as well as limit the reverberation of noises from appliances, TVs, speakers, etc. Standard insulation materials such as fiberglass or cellulose act as a barrier against airborne and impact noise. The density and mass of the insulation help prevent noise from reflecting off of walls, ceilings, and floors. Insulation can also absorb noise, limiting the amount that echoes throughout your home.
In addition to reducing noises from outside, insulation can help reduce the amount of noise that travels through ductwork in your home. Ductwork carries the air from your heating and cooling systems to different rooms in your house. Insulation can be installed between the ductwork and your attic floor to reduce the amount of noise that is carried through your ceilings, walls, and floors.
Not all types of insulation are effective in reducing noise, however. Reflective insulation, which is often used in attics, does not act as a barrier against noise or absorb vibrations. In general, thicker and denser insulation materials are more effective than lighter insulation products.
Blown-in cellulose, fiberglass, and spray foam insulation are all excellent options for insulating your home to reduce noise. These insulation products are blown into attics and other hard-to-reach areas using special equipment, and they can fill cracks and gaps that could otherwise allow for more noise to transfer through your walls and ceilings.