Home insulation considerations for spring

House model house concept in hand

As the month of March progresses, flowers can be seen everywhere and it can be safely said that springtime has begun. It is generally seen as a time to carry out spring cleaning around the house, plant some flowers and to look forward to Earth day but for some spring is the beginning of giving thought to energy efficiency through environment-friendly methods. It is said to have been reported by the Department of energy, that most Americans are losing 30% of the cool or hot air inside of the house through cracks, leaks, and poor insulation solutions.

When insulating your home at the beginning of spring there are two routes to take for any given home insulation material. You could either hire a professional who will take care of everything from the home energy audit to checking existing insulation and the eventual installation of home insulation or follow some simple guideline to gauge where and which type of insulation is most suitable for your house.

As there has been an increase in DIY home solutions in many fields, the concept has also been grasped in the field of home insulation and big companies like Owens Corning make it much easier with simple and direct guidelines being presented for homeowners. Earlier on, when insulating your home the only option available was to contact contractors or home builders so that home insulation solutions could be availed and understood. However, Roxul insulation and Owens Corning offer a varied range of home insulation solutions to meet the unique needs and application for wall insulation, crawlspace insulation, roof insulation, floor insulation and basement insulation.

It all begins with understanding which areas of the house are insufficiently insulated and lead to the maximum heat to cold loss. Pinpointing areas such as an attic, pitched roof, basement or other places where air transfer occurs can lead to savings as far as power and utility bills are concerned. If the structure of the house is an old one, it is most likely that the home insulation installed at the time when the house was being built is outdated or in other words not up to the requirements mentioned as of today. The level of insulation needed or the choice of material also depends on the altitude of the region where you live as well as its location and naturally places with colder climates require more home insulation as compared to ones that are warmer regions, however more people are beginning to understand that insulation is just as much a requirement in the warmer regions to keep the hot air out of their homes. R25 is the typical level of home insulation which is seen as standard in the home insulation industry, however if you are in or near the Minnesota or Michigan region, the requirement maybe is driven up to the level of R60 owing to the climate of the area. A convenient chart from EnergyStar may be consulted to gauge which level of home insulation is deemed appropriate in consideration of your location.

If you are unsure of what kind of insulation will work best and which level is required, Owens Corning is a trustworthy name in the market which caters to residential insulation solutions. Owens Corning provides a breakup for the insulation solutions for particular areas of the house. For instance, it presents different materials meant for wall insulation and others meant for crawlspace insulation or basement insulation. There is further categorization to pick whether you are in need of exterior wall insulation or interior and in the case of crawlspace whether you are looked at conditioned crawlspace insulation or unconditioned one. The idea behind choosing professional services such as Owens Corning or Roxul insulation is that experts are better trained at picking the right kind of insulation level you need and also consider factors other than the location for home insulation installation. For instance in your knowledge, the traditional pink rolls may be sufficient for attic insulation but these may not work well when there is the threat of damage from moisture and thus, a vapor barrier may be needed. This barrier is vital in the face of such an issue since moisture can considerably affect the working of even the best form of home insulation material. So whether you are considering the renovation of an old room or extending the living space through the addition of a new room or cottage, it is of significant importance to pick the appropriate insulation for the particular project at hand. Insulation may make up only a small portion of your overall budget but the choices you make will affect the quality of your finished project and the ongoing costs of heating and cool your home.

Roxul insulation is another big name in the industry offering home insulation options based on what it is needed for; there are insulation materials meant mainly for thermal insulation which is basically stone wool insulation, fire and sound proofing insulation and Insulated Sheathing (mineral wool insulation). Roxul insulation uses specially designed and engineered insulation meant for application in the residential as well as commercial sector and it offers an environment-friendly insulation solution which is an ideal choice for use in wall cavities, ceilings, attics and floor frames.

Checking for home insulation and particularly wall insulation is not an easy task and it is best to leave it to professionals. Though you may carry out a thorough check yourself and put forward your suggestions to the team of experts, you may easily miss places where there is inadequate insulation if you do not consult any professional. These cracks or spaces may remain uninsulated leading to loss of heat or cool air even if the rest of the places of the house are sufficiently insulated. This will bring all the insulation efforts to square one. Additionally other than affecting the comfort level in the zone of your household, the choice of insulation material will also have an impact on the environment so, it is best to pick a company which puts forward a positive stance where commitment to the environment is concerned. Owens Corning and Roxul insulation are both companies which stick by an environmental policy which emphasizes on green manufacturing.