Whether your home is brand new or has been lived in for years, your insulation is likely in need of replacement. According to studies, nearly 90% of homes in the United States are under-insulated. There are numerous advantages to having a well-insulated home. So, why aren't dwellings adequately insulated? The primary reason for this is that most builders just put in enough insulation to bring the house up to code in your area. From the standpoint of a constructor, there's no incentive to add any more insulation than is absolutely necessary, resulting in greater expenses. As a …
Have you noticed that the winters have been becoming colder lately? Are you living in an older home with an attic? If this is the case, you should consider adding sufficient insulation to your home. The energy efficiency of a home can significantly reduce costs. Water heating, for example, consumes almost 90% of the energy required to run a washer. Without the use of hot water, modern washing machines can clean your garments. Your home's insulation heat loss may result in a greater expense than if you reduce it. So, how can you keep your house warm during the cold months …
Many homeowners think of insulation simply as "the pink stuff" hidden behind their walls and in their attics. But insulation plays a vital role in a house's energy efficiency. Are you aware of how insulation affects the comfort of your home? You might be surprised to learn that replacing your insulation can drastically lower your monthly energy bills, particularly if it hasn't been inspected or replaced for a while? How Insulation Works Insulation reduces heat transfer between the materials that make up your home's construction envelope. In addition to blown cellulose …
When ice dams form at the bottom of roofs, water can enter and cause damage to walls and roofs. A roof's snow melts and runs down to its bottom edge, where it freezes. An ice dam is a large block of ice that can cause water to back up beneath shingles and cause damage. Ice dams cause structural damage to walls and roofs. There are many factors that contribute to ice dams. Older homes often lack adequate insulation, especially at roof-to-wall joints. Particularly susceptible to this problem are low-sloped roofs with short overhangs. The heat from the frame members warms the …
As MGT Insulation, we offer a variety of insulation services, using high-quality products in all the most critical spaces. But why do we need insulation, anyway? In this article, we will examine the seven top reasons to ensure your home has the insulation it needs, and how MGT Insulation can help. Visit our site to find out what we have to offer. Keep your home comfortable It is best to insulate your home to ensure that your heating and cooling systems are as effective and efficient as possible. The heat can move much more freely between the inside and outside of a house without …
Experience Experience in the field cannot be replaced by any amount of formal training. Regardless of whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or considering hiring a friend or family member who has little experience or knowledge about insulation installation, the results will likely be inferior to what a real professional will provide. Insulation contractors have extensive experience in filling every crack and crevice to prevent costly air leaks around your home. The project can also be completed quickly and efficiently to keep costs low. Knowledge According to your climate, home …
#1: Energy bills that are higher than necessary By looking at your energy bills over the past few years, you can determine if your home is under-insulated, especially if you have blow-in insulation in your attic. You may be in need of new insulation if your costs have steadily increased over time and your thermal protection has become less effective over time. The change in your insulation's ability to regulate comfortable temperatures may have happened so slowly that you didn't notice, but going over your energy bills can help you spot a pattern. If this is the case, you should …
Fall is the best time to insulate your home As that chill cools the air in early October, you may begin to think of many things; the sound of crisp fallen leaves under your boots, the scent of a bonfire, or a blanket wrapped around you. It's likely you won't think about your home's insulation. Fall is not only the perfect time to enjoy pumpkin spice; it's also the perfect time to update your insulation. You should insulate your home during the fall for these reasons: Weather conditions are mild and cool If you want to install new insulation or update your existing insulation, …
The leaves are changing color. Pumpkin flavored coffee, cookies, pies, and Halloween decorations can be found in stores. The fall season is upon us. Autumn is approaching, and the leaves begin to change color and the temperatures begin to cool. What are you doing to prepare your home for winter's cold weather? To make things better, don't wait until you're sitting around at home sipping hot coffee while bundled up in a blanket. People wait too long to fix problems until they reach their peak. In terms of insulation, this is a bad idea. When it comes to insulating your home, it is …
If you live in an area that experiences high temperatures in the summer - or all year round - you know how crucial it is to keep your home cool, especially if you have pets or children. In the height of summer, you also know how expensive it can be to keep your house at livable temperatures. A home's energy bill can often be more than half consumed by cooling it. In addition to keeping your home cool, good insulation can also help reduce those costs. How to find summer issues with your home's insulation. Check Problem Areas If you are unsure where your home might have an insulation …
Would you like to improve the energy efficiency of your home? A good place to start is with air sealing. About 43 percent of your monthly energy bill can be attributed to your home's heating and cooling system, so you can save a lot of money by ensuring that as much conditioned air as possible stays inside your home rather than leaking out. Your home is likely to have leaks in places like the door frame or the windows, as well as air leaks beneath the door. There are so many ways for your home's conditioned air to escape, that it can be difficult to locate and seal every …
Is there any homeowner who wouldn't like to save more money on their energy bills? Many households are more concerned about their energy bills than you might think. One in three American households had difficulty paying their energy bills. The reason why? Many homeowners struggled to maintain adequate heating and cooling in their homes. Insulation is something we've all heard of. What exactly does insulation do? The majority of homeowners are unaware of what insulation does to save energy. You can save more on your energy bills by installing adequate …
There are several types of insulation available, each with different strengths and weaknesses. They are used in combination with vapor barriers and air sealing to prevent the loss of conditioned air as well as the entry of outside air. As a loose-fill material, cellulose presents a high R-value and offers effective insulation against air leakage and infiltration and can also prevent air movement. However, like other loose-fill insulations, it is prone to settle, causing it to lose its R-value. How Much Does Cellulose Settle? Based on how it is installed, cellulose insulation can …
The spring season means new goals and lists – some personal, some practical, like home improvements. You might have a never-ending list for home improvements, or maybe you just want to make a few improvements. We will examine in this article why properly insulated homes are beneficial and why home insulation and ventilation should be a top priority when choosing what home improvements to make this new year. What is Insulation? In order to understand the benefits of a properly insulated home, we first need to understand what insulation and ventilation is, as well as its purpose. …
While we frequently discuss the impressive insulative properties our cellular shade options offer, we also thought it wise to present information about some other parts of your house that can realize greater energy efficiency in terms of heating and cooling expenses. Many of these are spots that are overlooked by homeowners, but if they are effectively addressed, the financial savings tend to be truly impressive. Remember that heat rises, and as such, a smart method of keeping your home toasty during the winter months is to increase the insulation level in the attic space. The …
When it comes to taking care of your home, the roof ventilation may be one of those things that you haven't taken into consideration for a while, but in fact, plays a crucial role in your home. Your roof system's lifespan depends on how much attic ventilation you have in place, and at the same time, helps you save from the unnecessary and future roof and other related repairs to your heating and cooling system. Attic Ventilation: How It Works The intake vents need to go all the way down through the soffits, while the exhaust vents are placed at the roof ridge - this is a good …
Cellulose insulation is the best type of insulation to keep your home cool in the hot summer months and warm during the cold winter months. It’s eco-friendly too. Here are a few reasons why you should consider using cellulose insulation today. 1. Insulation is rated on the R-value (resistance to thermal conduction). Dense packed cellulose is usually installed using air so there are no gaps present. High installed density measuring about 3.5 pounds of material for every cubic foot ensures there is no settling. 2. Movement of heat is through convection which means that cellulose …
Ice dams on your roof can present a huge headache in mid-winter. It's difficult to add to the frustration o an ice dam. There's just nothing quite like that steady drip from the ceiling and nothing to stop it immediately. If you've never had to deal with such a drip, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, you're likely using your favorite search engine to find out "How to remove an ice dam from your roof". There's no better time than now to find out how you can prevent an ice dam. In fact, learn from your mistakes and know that your insulation in your attic is quite possibly to …
Any homeowner knows his house the best. That is the reason why you need to evaluate your insulation levels based on the experiences that you have had over the previous few seasons. Some of these symptoms can be the last sign of a predicament, but before you remove any drywall carrying out a comfort test is much easier. Homeowners or even these who have leased the premises can derive valuable information about the insulation by going round the home quickly. This is what they need to look for: Variations in temperatures You should never feel that you have gone to a different …
Per the federal Department of Energy, the average home uses anywhere from half to two-thirds of its overall energy use just for heating and cooling alone. Substandard insulation is something that can result in serious air leakage. This makes your home far less comfortable. It also means you are wasting money on a monthly basis. Proper insulation means that you and your family can enjoy comfortable and healthy living in an energy-efficient way that helps the environment as much as your wallet and bank account. What Advantages Do Quality Insulation Mean For Your Home? If your …
Living in Minnesota means that you must have a properly insulated home if you would like to be comfortable throughout the year. Many people think of insulation as that cotton candy like material that is found throughout the house. Fact of the matter is, many people are unaware of how essential insulation is to their homes. Mild Weather The season in which you decide to add new insulation to your Minnesota home is going to play an essential aspect in the installation cost as well as how comfortable your home is. In Minnesota, the fall season tends to be the best time to insulate due …
Do you know if the insulation in your home is the correct R-value? Are you using the correct type for the right rooms? It is important to ensure that you are using the correct insulation in your home. If you have recently used drywall in your garage or you are finishing your basement, it becomes important to not only know the type of insulation that is required to fill this space, but also the thermal resistance that is needed. This is determined by the R-value of the insulation. Here is more information on the right insulation type that you should be using, what R-value means, …
Do you believe that your house has enough insulation? There is a 90% chance your house doesn't have enough insulation unless you have added insulation to a renovated or a newly bought home, or extra insulation was added when your home was being built. As per the data released by North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, 9/10 homes in the US do not have enough insulation. The importance of insulation in homes should be clear from the fact that heating and cooling costs account for 42% of the utility bill in a typical home as per the data provided by the US Department of …
Good home insulation can have a tremendous impact in keeping the house cool during the warmer months. This is why home insulation is a top priority for homeowners and it can do an equally good job during the winters. It's recommended to focus on your home insulation as the temperature starts to rise outside. When everything is well-insulated, you are going to have a far easier time managing the amount of cooling that's used indoors. This can lead to major savings on your bills at the end of the month while keeping things as comfortable as necessary. Here is a deeper look …
The cause of many health problems inside of a home can be easily identified. In most cases, it has to do with molds, mildew, or fine particulate materials. Although your ventilation system is designed to keep you warm or cool, it may also be delivering particulates that are unhealthy. This could include dust, pollen, and other materials that can lead to respiratory issues. It is important to have home safety checks from time to time. MGT Insulation offers home health services. They may also be able to do work that can resolve the issue quickly. What Type Of Services Really …
It makes sense to insulate a garage if you are going to be heating the space. The same kinds of insulation materials can be used in the garage that is used for the rest of your home. However, there are some materials that are better than others, depending on whether or not your garage is finished. You should also consider insulating your garage door, and it has different installation requirements compared to what is needed on ceilings or walls. Fiberglass Insulation In garages, the most commonly used kind of insulation is fiberglass (it is also the most popular kind that is …
Thanks to the sheer volume of information available on the topic -- some accurate, some not, and some outdated -- it's all too easy to develop misconceptions about spray foam insulation. This is a building material that's experienced vast technological improvements in the recent past. Information on foam insulation that was accurate 20 years ago may be entirely incorrect today. There's also a wide enough range of different foam products that you can't trust too many blanket statements to accurately fit all foams. Common Foam Insulation Misconception False: Closed Cell …
If it has become expensive to cool or heat your home, or some of the rooms feel uncomfortable, in most cases air leaks are undoubtedly among the primary culprits. Air leakage occurs throughout your home, as the air that you have paid to condition escapes through openings. These processes force your HVAC system to work a lot harder and cause your home to become too hot over the summer months and too cold over the winter months. All attics have cracks and gaps that let air escape. This is partly due to flaws in the construction of the home, or from HVAC or electrical work, or from …
You have finally decided to get that insulation for your home but you are now wondering about the type of insulation to choose. There are a number of options available to you including cellulose, fiberglass, and spray or injection foam. It can be a daunting task to choose the right insulation for your home as there are a number of things you need to consider including: Cost of the insulating material Effectiveness of insulation material Long-term savings Insulation for Your Attic: Comparing Spray Foam Vs Fiberglass Vs Cellulose If you are experiencing difficulty in …
If you are living in the Twin Cities, you should expect cold winds, frosty mornings and heavy rain during the winter season. Yes, it’s exciting to wear the warm jackets, gloves, boots and scarves. However, it could be very frustrating if your home is not warm enough after a long cold day outside. Many families in Minnesota are struggling to keep their homes warm and comfortable during the winter season. They always end up using the heater and keep it on until the house becomes warm. However, if your home never seems to warm up there is a problem. If your home feels drafty and …