Most homes built before 1980 don’t have enough insulation, which decreases the energy efficiency of the home and increases energy costs. Key areas that typically lack enough insulation include exterior walls, the attic or underneath the floor. Insulation protects the home against energy loss by providing thermal resistance to the envelope of the home.
The higher the R-value installed, the greater its thermal resistance to heating or cooling loss. The government’s Energy Savers website offers an R-value insulation calculator by region that provides the recommended insulation for the home.
While insulating a home provides resistance to thermal loss, it does not offer resistance to air flow – so after increasing the home’s energy efficiency, it’s a good idea to check the home for any air leaks.
The quickest way to increase the energy efficiency of the home is to add R-value to the attic area. When adding fiberglass insulation, it’s important not to squish or squeeze the material in place, because this could significantly reduce its thermal R-value. Insulation’s R-value occurs because of the manufacturing process that creates layers of material that trap pockets of air between the layers. The air provides the insulation its R-value, and squeezing the insulating material into a space crushes the air pockets and decreases thermal resistance.
Insulating your home sufficiently is one of the single most important factors in achieving true energy efficiency in a home. Along with a properly sized HVAC system and energy-efficient windows, using the correct density of insulating material suggested for our region can end up saving you money on your monthly utility bills. Insulation keeps the heated or cooled air exactly where it’s supposed to be. Many people who don’t adequately insulate their homes are paying to heat or cool air that continually escapes the house.
A home on the Texas Gulf Coast that’s not sufficiently insulated will be extremely warm in the summer, chilly in the winter, and have high utility bills. Ask the experts at CCAC, Inc. for a professional energy assessment of your home so that you can find out what it will take to start saving you money on your energy bills.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about insulation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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