How to Update Your Home’s Insulation

Last winter was one of the worst in recent history. Many people’s wallets especially suffered due to higher heating costs. The cost of propane and other natural gases reached astronomical prices as the demand increased and the supply dwindled. If your home is heated only by electric you were likely to see bills shooting into the hundreds of dollars. You can withstand brutally cold winters in a less expansive fashion for many years to come and save money by updating your home’s insulation. The green energy trend has made information in how to update your insulation more available than ever before.

Evaluate Your Current Insulation

If you live in or own an older home it may be difficult for you to find the building records, which includes the type of insulation that was used. If you would like to know how energy efficient your home’s insulation is you can get a home energy audit or a home energy assessment that will show you how you can optimize the energy in your home. Check with your accountant and see if you can use any of these insulation updates as a tax deduction. You can find out the type of insulation that is used in your home on your own using one of your electrical outlets. Make sure that you turn off the electricity to the area of your home that you plan on checking before you remove the outlet.

The Importance of R-values in Insulation

Once you figure out the material that your current insulation is made out of you can find out the R-values, a measurement that determines the thermal resistance of a material, at www.energy.gov. If you would like to have a very high thermal resistance in order to defend your home against the bitter cold of winter than you should consider materials such as polyuthrane or polystyrene foam board which have very high R-values. Other materials often used for insulation include wool, cotton, fiberglass, straw, mineral wool, and recycled cellulose insulation. If you would like to update your insulation without a long process consider spray foam that allows you to pour the foam and even seal up gaps in your insulation, increasing its effectiveness. You can find the recommended R-values for different areas of your home such as your attic and basement in your zip code on the Department of Energy website. This website also lists the benefits and R-values of the different types of insulation.

By updating your insulation you can keep your family warm this winter and prevent devastating home repairs such as frozen and burst pipes. Depending on the type of insulation that you use,you can make it a do it yourself project or hire a professional contractor. Learn more great tips in how you can install your own insulation at the Department of Energy website. Stop worrying about your whether your home will be able to withstand the fierce winter storms and prepare you home for the harshest of winters with energy efficient insulation.