Insulating Your Home - Home Insulation Guide

Insulating Your Home

By Mountainman

With the rising cost of hydrocarbon fuel, we should look at ways to save money in the heating and cooling of our home. Insulation is the first thing that comes to mind. When talking about insulation, you hear the term R- value. The R-value is a measure of thermal resistance used in heat transfer problems. R-values can be calculated from thermal conductivity, k, and the thickness of the material, t: R = t/k. Thus, for 100 mm thickness, it is possible to calculate that a fiberglass blanket has a value of 2, whereas aerogel has a value of 5.9. I'm confused. Just think of it this way: the Higher the R - Value the Better it insulates you home from temperature changes.

Advancements in the area of insulations has come a long way baby. The first thing we think about is fiberglass batting or a blown in type. Fiberglass is an excellent form of insulation. It is easiest to install during the construction phase but can be installed or supplemented later in the attic or basement if your home has a basement. There are several other choices in the insulation of your home. Some of them include cellulose, rock wool, foam board and sprayed in foam just to name a few.

New construction is the best time to insulate. Before sheetrock is applied, access to all of your home's cavities is easy and can be insulated easily.

Installing insulation in the walls of an existing home especially if you are doing a major remodel is not impossible. If you are not doing a remodel, you should probably call a professional company. They drill holes (2-3 inches in diameter) in the walls between each stud. Some companies drill these holes at the top and bottom of the wall to insure the filling of the cavity is complete. Windows will have a cavity above and below that will need filling. Professional companies know how to do this and are very efficient at doing it.

Your first concern when considering insulation for your attic should be proper ventilation. Without proper ventilation, your attic can reach temperatures over 150 degrees and pressure can build in the attic just like a pressure cooker. This condition can actually push the nails holding down shingles out. Proper ventilation allows your home to breathe, exchanging the air in the attic on a regular basis helping to keep the temperature down and reduce the amount of moisture in the attic. If moisture in the attic is not kept down, mold can form in the attic. This moisture can also cause wood to rot. Either condition is not good.

When it comes to insulating the attic, the homeowner can do this. The best time to put insulation in the attic is in spring or fall. The reason for this is the temperature of the attic. In the summer the temperature in the attic can reach 150 degrees. This is not a good temperature for the human body. Heat prostration is a big concern at this temperature. To be safe, don't attempt it. If you must do this during the summer, let the professionals handle it. If you do this your self, there are two types of insulation the homeowner can install themselves. The first is batting. This is purchased in rolls. You simply unroll them in your attic and move them into the position you want them. When installing batting, make sure to get it to the edges of the roof. At the same time, you must leave room for air to travel from the eaves of the house into the attic. Special spacers are available to provide for this. They are easy to install and provide plenty of air passages which are necessary in the proper ventilation of your attic.

Blowing in insulation can be done by the homeowner. It is a very dirty job and should only be attempted by a physically fit individual. You are handling a 3 to 4 inch plastic hose that the insulation is flowing through while trying to balance on the ceiling joists, and trying to keep the depth of the insulation at a consistent level. This balancing can end up disastrous without proper planning. Let's talk about ceiling joists for a second. If you don't know what a ceiling joist is, look up. A ceiling joist is the dimensional lumber used to nail the sheetrock to. It is a 2 x 4, 2 x 6 or larger according to the span of the room. If while in the attic, you fail to step on this lumber, you will have the surprise of ending up in your house looking up at the very large hole in your ceiling, or setting on one of these joists with your foot or feet through the ceiling. This can be a balancing act when you consider the electrical wire that is everywhere in the attic and the wire sometimes used to tie up ductwork in the attic. The ductwork can be a major obstacle. If you are not sure of what obstacles are in your attic, go up and take a look and try to plan a route around and through your attic.

Insulation can save you energy dollars and help keep your home comfortable. You will recoup your investment in a few years in these savings. After that the savings will be money in your pocket. You will spend less on heating and cooling your home and the temperature of your home will be more consistent and easier to maintain.

The latest and supposedly greatest form of insulating your home is with sprayed in foam. This should only be accomplished by professionals. They have the proper equipment for spraying and access to the large quantity of chemicals required to do this. They will also have the proper personal protective equipment. The initial cost of spray in foam is about 20%25 higher. But, due to the higher 'R' value per inch of thickness, you should recover the extra cost in energy savings in about 5 years.

Don't miss the next article on "Winterizing the Exterior of Your Home".

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

About the Author

Johnny Shaw (Mountainman) Born in a small Oklahoma town. He joined the Air Force in 1977. He retired in 1997 after 20 years of traveling the world. He has since moved back to Oklahoma. His rule: "Never give up, Never surrender". He has three Web sites: http://www.rfunstuff.com http://www.woodstove.johnsspot.com/ http://www.propertyforsaleinhotspringsvillage.johnsspot.com/