Understanding Your Homes Insulation
When you have a home in climates where the winters get cold, having the proper insulation is an essential part of keeping heating costs down and drafts out.
Newer homes have significantly different amounts of insulation than older homes do. Because of this, people who own older homes can often find themselves in an especially expensive winter heating situation. Most homeowners think of insulation as keeping out the cold air in winter. In fact, proper insulation also keeps cooler air from air conditioning in a home during the summer months.
The only way to ensure that a home is not losing heat or cooling is by properly insulating a home. If you have a home that is particularly drafty, the truth is it may in fact be going right out through your roof. It can also leak through various other places. If you notice your heating and cooling costs are higher than usual, poor insulation could be a reason.
There are key places in your home that need to be properly insulated. This way you’ll ensure that you are not losing heating and cooling. However, too much insulation in a home can actually prove to be quite dangerous, especially if it is covering attic vents.
There are several key checkpoints in your home that need to be properly insulated to protect it against heat and cooling loss. The primary places for insulation in a home are:
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Walls
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Windows
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Doors
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Attics
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Ceilings
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Basements
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Roofs
While most people are familiar with the need to insulate walls, ceilings and attics, doors, and windows are key. Air will find ways to escape through any small cracks or leaks. The insulation rating in your home is based on all factors of areas. Make sure to check your walls, windows, doors, attics, ceilings, basements and roofs for current insulation.
When any of these areas in a home are not properly insulated, you can rest assured you are losing heat in the winter and cooling in the summer through cracks, drafts, improper seals and a lack of insulation.
The only way for you to repair this is through having insulation put into the areas that are lacking by replacing out any areas that have old and outdated exterior protections with updated better insulated products.
To best way to ensure your home is properly insulated is to run a check. Look at all exterior buffers in the home to see if there are any drafts coming in. Feel for cold spots or short bursts of chill around windows. Verify that your wall, ceiling and attic insulations are sufficient for your home.
Properly insulating your home can save costs annually. Insulation is also a good protectant against getting colds and flu’s from a drafty home.