Is Your Home Insulation Properly Protecting You?

Home insulation isn’t something you typically see, but you can certainly feel. If your home struggles to stay cool with the air conditioning on and can’t seem to keep warm with the heater on blast, odds are your home insulation is at fault.

Installing insulation in the attic, basement and main frame of your home is essential to keeping it comfortable and energy efficient.

How Insulation Works

Home insulation involves conduction, convection and radiation. In the winter when heat flows directly from your heating system, it rises up and into your ceilings and attic. In the summer, cool air falls to your basement and crawl space. Without proper insulation, it’s easy for that air to escape your home and keep you in an uncomfortable state. Insulation helps to keep both warm and cool air indoors and within the rooms you utilize most.

Insulation acts as a barrier blocking heat from migrating out of your home during cold seasons. It is often installed in your home’s attic, walls and basement or crawlspace. When a home is properly insulated, heat loss is reduced. The result is a warmer home in the fall and an HVAC system that needs to work less often.

Insulation Benefits

Properly insulating your home can have many long-term benefits, including:

• Reducing your overall energy costs. Air leakage isn’t cheap. Having your HVAC system running all day means high energy bills, especially when you continually bump the temperature up or down. With proper insulation, your home will better retain an internal temperature all day long.
• Protect pipes from freezing over. Insulation also helps to hold in heat around your pipes. Since metal pipes tend to lose heat quickly, it can be easy for them to freeze over in the winter if not properly insulated.
• Controlling condensation in your home. Having the proper level of air humidity can help create a more comfortable environment. Too much humidity and you begin having issues with mold and condensation – too little and you allow viruses and germs to thrive putting your family at risk for colds and respiratory illness.
• Reducing stress on your HVAC system. Your HVAC system works hard to keep you and your family comfortable. However, it’s not meant to run 24/7. Without insulation, your HVAC system is working overtime to keep your home cool or warm, and that has a major impact on its overall lifespan.
• Improving your carbon footprint. Less energy means less money which also means less impact on the environment. Insulation is a part of the solution when it comes to creating an efficient home.

Risks of Not Having Proper Insulation

Without insulation, or if you live in an older home with damaged or poor insulation, you risk:

1. High energy costs – If your home is not properly insulated it can wreak havoc on your energy bill – not to mention extra wear and tear on your HVAC system.
2. Frozen pipes – Without insulation, ice and snow can cause pipes in your exterior walls to freeze or even burst. This can lead to water damage and an expensive cleanup.
3. Bugs and rodents – Insulation helps to keep your air in – and bugs out. Without it, you may have unwanted guests in your home. Gaps and openings in walls, doorways and window frames can allow warm are to escape and vermin to enter.
4. Poor health – Without proper insulation, you risk allowing dust, debris, mold, mildew and other hazardous things enter your home. This can be especially problematic for those with respiratory illnesses, as well as those with weakened immune systems.

Insulation Installation

Are you protected from the ice and snow coming this fall? Are you ready to put the blankets away and simply enjoy the heat radiating in your home? Bradley Mechanical can help prepare your home for cold weather and ensure that it is properly insulated for optimal performance. Your comfort matters, especially in the colder months when we spend time indoors. Keep your home cozy and safe this winter by having our team inspect your insulation and determine whether you may benefit from repairs or new insulation installation.

Whether you need attic insulation installation or your home would benefit from installing insulation in the basement, we’ve got you covered. Since 1969, we have been keeping Virginia homes warm and comfortable through every fall and winter. Our team of insulation professionals work with your schedule to ensure you receive the work you need when you need it most.