A well-insulated house is comfortable in every season. A house can be insulated by blankets, poured-in place materials, and other types of insulation. Insulation works the same way: by trapping tiny air pockets that slow the movement of heat out of the house during winter and into a house during summer. The effectiveness of resisting this movement is referred to as the R-value. A higher R-value will result in saving energy and reducing heating and cooling bills.

 

How Insulation Works

There are three basic mechanisms of heat flow: conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction is defined as how heat moves through different kinds of materials, like when your spoon heats up when placed in a bowl of hot soup. Convection, on the other hand, is how heat circulates through different kinds of liquids and gases. This is characterized by lighter, warmer air rising while cooler, denser air sinks. Radiation is heat traveling in straight line and heats up anything solid that falls in its path.

 

Insulation materials work by slowing conductive heat flow. Radiant barriers, such as attic insulation, and reflective insulation systems work by minimizing heat gain. Insulation mechanisms aim to direct heat flow from warmer to cooler area until such time that there is no longer a difference in temperature. In winter, it means heat flows from the heated living spaces to the unheated attic, garage, and basement.

What We Can Do For You

Most houses that are more than ten years old are under insulated. To find out if your house needs additional insulation you need to determine first the amount of insulation you already have in place. Our team of insulation experts can come to your home and do an energy audit to determine the exact amount of insulation you need. This is an exact science, as the house must be properly air-sealed before putting insulation.

 

We will inspect the attic, walls, and floors next to an unheated space, such as the basement or garage, where the structural elements are typically exposed. We will also check the type of insulation used and to measure its depth or thickness.

 

Next, we will check the exterior walls of the house. The best way to check on the wall insulation is through an electrical outlet. We normally turn off power to the outlet and remove the outlet cover. Using a flashlight, we check into the crack around the outlet box to see the insulation inside the wall and check on its thickness. Sometimes, we are required to pull out a small amount of insulation to determine its type. A house may not have the same type of insulation in its different parts.

Get Our Expert Advice

After determining the type of and thickness of insulation in the different parts of your house, we will determine the R-values of the existing insulation. We will use that information to calculate how much insulation we need to add so your home can achieve its maximum energy efficiency.

 

Our company has several teams of insulation experts who will gladly take your call if you have questions or concerns about insulation. We’ve been doing this job for years and have the necessary skill and experience to get it done right – the first time. With us, you won’t have to micro-manage while we work inside your home. We are quick, precise, and trustworthy.