Using Residential Foam Insulation to Decrease Your Energy Costs
Insulating your home is an important step in making your internal environment comfortable for you and your family. Insulation is a process that reduces heat loss or gain and in doing so, decreases the energy necessary to heat or cool the home. The decrease is energy needs leads to savings for you.
The efficiency of a particular type of insulation material is referred to as its R-value. While R-value is a relatively effective manner of classifying insulation products, it doesn’t take into account other factors that can also influence the effectiveness of insulation. The local environment and the construction methods used in creating a home can also impact insulation’s ability to produce the living conditions within the home that you desire.
You will need to take into account any other issues with your home that may need to be addressed to achieve a comfortable and energy-efficient home environment. That being said, insulation is a major step to achieving the most energy-efficient home possible.
Selecting the right type of insulation is important to decreasing energy costs. While any insulation will be an improvement over none, there are forms that are much better than others. Spray foam insulation is one of the top materials available and closed cell spray foam has one of the highest R-values.
The amount of home insulation necessary depends on several factors, including the building’s design and the climate in the area. Energy costs and your individual budget will also impact your insulation plans but you should keep in mind that expense associated with insulating or reinsulating your home will save you money in the long term by reducing energy costs associated with heating and cooling.
Insulating various parts of your home achieves different goals. The attic in particular is of major concern in having an energy-efficient home. Much of the heat that leaks from the house does so through the ceiling and attic. When heating your home, you want to ensure that the money you spend on ambient heat is money well spent. Adding spray foam insulation to your attic is one of the best ways to prevent heat from escaping.
This same process helps you improve the ability of your home cooling system to maintain a comfortable home environment. Spray foam can be used to create a seamless foam board insulation in your walls. This method allows you to trap cooler air inside the home and prevent the heat outside from seeping through walls and increasing the temperature inside the house.
Crawlspaces are other areas of concern in your home. While these spaces are necessary for accessing pipes, electrical work and air ducts, they are one of the leading areas in most American homes that result in air leakage from the home. Using spray foam insulation in your crawlspace will help eliminate any gaps through which air currently passes. It will also help reduce the likelihood of external air entering your home and increasing or decreasing the temperature inside.
Many people overlook the importance of insulating basement walls. If you heat your basement in the winter, insulation in the walls will help save on heating costs. Without proper insulation, heat leaks through the basement walls to the cold or frozen ground outside. In the summer, the temperature of the heated soil outdoors leaks through the basement walls and into your home. Even if you don’t air condition your basement, it can still impact your home cooling costs. Heat rises and if the temperature in the basement increases due to poor insulation, it will affect the temperature in the rest of the house. This is especially true if you have poor insulation in the basement, ceiling or floor of your house.
The heating and cooling costs account for more than half of the energy expense of American homes. Air leakage and inadequate insulation are the leading reasons for wasted energy. Sealing and insulating your home with spray foam reduces costs and decreases the amount of energy you waste. Not only are you lowering your energy bills but you are positively affecting the environment as well.
By reducing your own dependence on fossil fuels, you do your part for the environment. That reduced dependence translates into savings for you. Not only will you see lower energy bills in the long run but you can also receive significant tax credits for insulating your home.
Article source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/using-residential-foam-insulation-to-decrease-your-energy-costs-3017847.html