How do you Know your House is Well-Insulated?

When it comes to insulation, chances are your home may need more. NAIMA (North American Insulation Manufacturers Association) reports that ninety percent of homes in the U.S. are under-insulated. Unless you’ve added extra insulation when building your home or added insulation to the home you bought or renovated, there’s a nine in ten chance it needs more.

Why is this? Think about the housing industry. Home builders install the minimum amount of insulation required by local code. Why would they install more? The more they install, the more money each house costs to build. From being in the insulation industry for years, we know that the amount required by local code needs to be increased to keep your home comfortable and save you money on energy bills.

Look for These Signs That Your Home Is Under-Insulated

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 42 perdcent of a homeowner’s utility bill is spent on heating and cooling costs. That number goes up drastically when a home needs to be better insulated.

Without proper insulation, the heated or cooled air in your heating and cooling system produces readily escapes through the walls and attic. If your home does not have the proper amount of insulation, or if your insulation is installed incorrectly, you can do severe damage to both your home and your bank account.

Good insulation can cut those costs by an average of twenty percent! Here are nine ways you can tell if your home is under-insulated.

Temperature Fluctuations

One sign of good insulation is having even temperatures throughout your home. If different rooms have different temperatures – say, you freeze in the kitchen but feel too warm in your living room – that’s a clear sign your house is under-insulated.

Energy Bills High

Look at your home’s energy bills in the last few years to determine if there are huge increases. The blown-in insulation in the attics and walls may have settled, making the insulation less effective and possibly leading to areas needing protection from cold temperatures.

You may not notice extreme temperature shifts in your home if your heating or cooling units work overtime, but you will see your extreme energy bill. If wasted heat escapes your roof and walls, then it’s time to replace your insulation.

Cold Ceilings, Floors, and Walls

Do the touch test. The interior floors, walls, and ceilings should feel warm and dry in your home. There must be more insulation when drywall and paneling inside a home feel damp or cold. Alternatively, touching an exterior wall should feel cold because the insulation keeps warm air inside a home.

Rooms are Cold

Do you find some rooms in your home much cooler or warmer than other rooms regardless of what you do? If they are well-ventilated, then the problem is probably poor insulation.

Oftentimes temperature extreme rooms tend to be found below the attic or over the garage. That’s why ensuring that all areas of your home are properly insulated is essential.

Drafty Rooms

During winter, windows and doorways are notorious for allowing drafts to enter your home. By adding extra insulation to these areas, you and your family can avoid having to cope with chilly drafts.

Spray foam insulation seals and insulates and is suitable for cracks and crevices. The addition of proper insulation lessens drafts and saves you on your energy bills.

Bugs or Mice in Your Home

There is nothing worse than finding insects and rodents in your home! Critters can enter through tiny crevices and holes around doorways and windows. Unfortunately, these openings are also how cold air enters and warm air escapes. Adding insulation can save on energy bills while protecting your home from vermin invasions.

Attic Leaks Water

Just as poor insulation lets the heat out of your home, it also tends to let water in. Water has a harder time finding its way into a well-insulated home than a poorly insulated home. Leaks are a sign that you should get your insulation replaced as soon as possible! Water damage can cause many costly problems, including mold issues, so give leaks prompt attention.

Roof Ice Dams

Aside from soaring heating bills, ice dams are a sign of poor insulation that you may notice during a Northeastern Ohio winter. Ice dams occur when heat (rising from your poorly insulated home) melts the bottom layer of snow from your roof. The melted water then trickles down towards your gutters and may begin to freeze once it hits the cooler air. The result is large chunks of ice and oversized icicles, called ice damming. It can wreak havoc on your roof and gutter and become a safety hazard for those below.

Pipes Freezing

One of the biggest indicators of poor insulation is frozen pipes in your walls. Appropriate insulation will protect your home from damage caused by Northeastern Ohio’s freezing and thawing fluctuations. If there is inadequate insulation in exterior walls, frozen pipes can actually burst. This can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage. Investing in crawl space insulation can also make a massive difference to your pipes.

More Important Energy Facts

Where does all the warm air go?

Roughly 25 percent of a home’s heat seeps through the attic and roof.
A home can lose 35 percent of its heat through the walls.
Windows are a source of 25 percent of a home’s heat loss.
Remember, any gaps in insulation will allow heat to escape.

Insulation has a three times greater impact on the average home’s energy and comfort than windows or doors.

An energy audit will pinpoint the areas that are wasting the most energy.

Get an energy audit with Installed Services