EASTERN CONNECTICUT Blog

Beat the Connecticut Heat with Better Thermal Comfort

Summer 2020 was a season to remember— and not just for its long days. For some, the heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires brought an urgent reminder of climate change's force in our world. As revealed by NOAA’s report on global temperatures last year, this past Northern Hemisphere summer shattered previous temperature records set back in 2019 and 2016 - rising 2 degrees F (1 degree C) above the 20th-century average!

Over the last 30 years, cooling energy demand has increased exponentially across the globe and currently accounts for 8.5% of electricity consumption - a statistic that is quickly growing. This monumental growth can be attributed to two billion air conditioning units in operation worldwide, with expectations that this number will more than double by 2030 as access to cooling expands into emerging economies. Unfortunately though, while rising affluence allows many people around the world to remain comfortable during hot summer months, 1.1 billion individuals are unable to find any reprieve from scorching temperatures due to fuel poverty.

Extreme Thermal Conditions are on the Rise

As temperatures continue to rise, heat waves are becoming a greater and more deadly threat. From 2010-2020 alone in the US, 12 thousand lives were lost each year due to extreme thermal conditions – that's nearly 80 thousand people over an entire decade! Factors such as climate change (responsible for 37 percent of all global deaths related to overheating), urbanization, and our aging population have made this situation even worse. It is essential now more than ever that we protect those most vulnerable from the additional risks posed by soaring temperatures.

Improving insulation standards

To maximize thermal comfort in our New London buildings, we must make them climate-resilient and energy efficient. We can accomplish this by improving insulation standards for the building envelope, installing Low-E windows, and orienting structures to reduce heat gain. Additionally, opting for more intelligent cooling systems (with ducts tucked away from hot attics) is a great way of conserving energy while keeping us all cool at the same time!

Koala Insulation of Eastern Connecticut keeps buildings comfortable and energy efficient, offering a wide variety of solutions including fiberglass insulation, blow-in products, and air sealing materials. With thermal comfort being the cornerstone of our mission, we strive to make sure your New London home is as cozy in winter as it is cool in summer!

An insulated building envelope serves as a barrier between external temperatures and those inside the structure, allowing its occupants to benefit from balanced air conditioning all year round. Whether it's blazing hot or freezing cold outside, within these walls lies an oasis of ideal temperate conditions - gift-wrapped in energy savings!

Increasing Your Home's Efficiency 

As we dangerously climb the thermometer of global warming, air-conditioning demand is rapidly rising and more people are struggling with energy poverty. To counter this issue, it's essential that we work to make buildings as efficient as possible in order to reduce reliance on artificial cooling while creating comfortable living spaces for everyone.

To reduce the amount of energy needed to keep cool, innovative new technologies are being developed. One promising idea is creating insulation around building structures such as walls, roofs, and floors; this helps lower heat absorption from outside sources and maintain comfortable temperatures indoors with minimal power usage.

An effective energy strategy should include not only cost-saving measures but also a focus on the type of insulation first: creating better insulation and thermal comfort throughout the seasons. By ensuring properties retain natural warmth in winter while deflecting solar heat gain during summer months, we can create environments where homeowners feel comfortable year-round.

Create a Healthy Home

By using natural and sustainable materials, homeowners can protect their properties from potentially harmful issues such as condensation and mold. This ultimately helps with creating a healthy home while also optimizing the property's lifespan without requiring excessive maintenance work.

When refurbishing your home, the insulation material chosen is critical to preserving warmth and your air-conditioned air- and money! To that end, attention focuses on materials with low thermal conductivity. Foil-backed foam board has become the solution of choice due to its remarkable ability to hold heat within a wall or roof area while maintaining an efficient profile thickness.

While insulation is an essential measure in improving our energy efficiency, not all of a building's envelope can realistically be insulated. Windows and doors create weak points because their thermal conductivity is higher than most other materials used; this means that heat passes through more easily into the outside environment - hindering performance from installed insulation systems as well as leading to condensation indoors. This could have serious consequences for your family’s health and safety due to reduced air quality, as well as potentially damaging any structural integrity over time.

Thermal Protection

When it comes to insulation, even a tiny gap between panels can have major repercussions. Small amounts of air migrating through the building envelope change how effective your thermal protection is at keeping the heat in (or out). This means that actual energy performance could be drastically lower than what was calculated on paper - so make sure you choose an installation that sticks!

By utilizing natural insulation materials such as wood fiber and recycled newspapers, it is possible to upgrade a home's thermal performance through the external or internal retrofit of roofing, walls, or floor. These systems are designed with refurbishment projects in mind; they provide an excellent solution that breathes while trapping warm air indoors - reducing issues like humidity/condensation damage without chemical substances! This perfect combination meets all criteria for homeowners: reliable R-values meet optimal comfort levels over time.

Not only does good thermal insulation with natural materials create a balanced and comfortable home, but it also reduces energy costs by lessening the load on your air conditioning system. This improved regulation of temperature keeps homes durable during both winter months and scorching summers, ensuring that households can stay cozy without breaking their budget!

Invest in Thermal Insulation

Thermal insulation is not only a great way to protect your home from the elements, but it also plays an important role in ensuring a safer and healthier environment. By investing in thermal insulation, you can reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to global warming - all while making your living space more comfortable!

Koala Insulation of Eastern Connecticut is a company that seeks to provide homeowners across Connecticut with money and energy-saving insulation services. We believe that every homeowner should have access to quality insulation, and our goal is to make sure that all homeowners have the opportunity to save on their energy bills and live in a more comfortable home. We offer a variety of insulation services, so you can choose the perfect option for your home, climate, budget, and other needs. Plus, we always educate our customers about the benefits of insulation so they can make an informed decision about their home improvement project.