EASTERN CONNECTICUT Blog

The Little-Known Benefits of Insulation

Are you looking for ways to make your New London Connecticut home more comfortable and energy-efficient? Insulation is key to achieving these goals - but there's a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to outfitting your house with insulation. Here are some points of consideration that will help ensure success in this endeavor. 

Upgrade Your Insulation 

Investing in an insulated garage door can be a great way to keep your energy bills low and enjoy the warmth of a comfortable space. It's worth considering spending about 15-20% more for polyurethane insulation, as opposed to extruded polystyrene - it offers a significant improvement on R-value or insulating effectiveness. The jump from two-inch polystyrene up to Clopay’s Intellicore (polyurethane) brings the thermal value all the way up from 9 to 18 – that is undoubtedly impressive! 

Avoid Paper-Faced Insulation Where Possible 

When insulating standard walls, avoid buying paper-faced batt insulation. They can make creating a tight vapor retarder challenging. Koala Insulation of Eastern Connecticut can help you navigate through the right batt insulation service. 

Missing Insulation Can Lead to Mold 

Warmer air naturally flows towards cooler spots, and if it gets trapped somewhere along the way—in your home's insulation—humidity levels can rise rapidly. This creates an ideal breeding ground for mold near walls adjacent to floors or windowsills, corners of rooms, outlets, and light fixtures. Cleaning away existing spore growth only solves part of the issue; high humidity needs to be addressed at its source in order to prevent future recurrences. Properly sealing wall cavities with expanding foam is a reliable strategy that keeps warm air from condensing on cool surfaces while maintaining appropriate interior temperatures. 

Adding insulation to one's attic is an effective way of reducing heat loss, especially in older homes. The recommended level varies based on location—check with local building departments or consult EnergySavers.gov for information specific to your area. To measure how much insulation you currently have, simply check the depth by looking through the access door into your attic space; if it falls below minimum recommendations (R-22 up to R-49 = 6 - 13 inches loose fill or 7 - 19 inches fiberglass batts) then adding some will help reduce heating bills and energy usage overall! When opting for additional insulation consider installing loose fill instead of more fiberglass batt even if this material was previously used as it offers greater flexibility when settling around protrusions while still providing a high degree of thermal resistance performance. 

With the Department of Energy reporting that 80% of homes built prior to 1980 are under-insulated, loose-fill insulation is a viable option for homeowners looking to increase their home's energy efficiency. Loose fill insulation consists typically of either cellulose or fiberglass and enables users to easily cover joists while reaching hard-to-reach crevices.  

Don’t Drill too early 

When working on insulation-filled walls, the best practice is to avoid fishing wires through them. Not only can this damage important vapor barriers or cause bunched-up insulation leading to cold spots, but if a drill bit contacts the wire too soon it's possible for fluff from the material around these areas to form a sticky web that will be almost impossible to remove your tool from! The key tip: wait until contact with the wood you plan on drilling into has been made before spinning any flex bits - no premature cotton candy cones allowed! 

Avoid Stuffing 

Taking shortcuts with insulation can create unwelcome consequences - from air pockets to inefficient thermal performance. Instead, call Koala Insulation to find the right size batt insulation for your space and ensure you get maximum energy efficiency! 

Insulate your pipes 

Make sure your home is safe from basement water damage by not allowing condensation to form on cold water pipes. Stopping it at the source with foam pipe insulation is an easy, cost-effective solution - simply measure and cut with scissors for a quick installation process! 

Insulate Exterior walls 

Shielding your home's exterior walls with insulation provides several benefits. In cold climates, it can help reduce heating costs and energy consumption while protecting against condensation buildup that could damage interior surfaces. However, be aware of potential water intrusion from the outside when insulating- if this is a problem in your basement areas you may need to address those issues first before adding extra layers of protection! 

Don’t forget air sealing 

Stop energy loss and improve the efficiency of your home – insulate those uninsulated rim joists! We suggest a minimum of two-inch extruded polystyrene to get the job done; however, be sure to check local codes for specific requirements. A table saw will help you accurately cut pieces that are equal in depth to your joists. Fine-toothed handsaws or utility knives can then further refine these cuts until they fit snugly into place on each item's corresponding section lengthwise. Fill any gaps using caulk while larger openings should have expanded spray foam applied from an aerosol canister instead 

Let Koala Insulation of Eastern Connecticut Inspect your attic 

Before you begin your attic exploration, take a few moments to make an outline of the area. Identify key features like walls, chimneys, and plumbing stacks that could be prone to leaks when detected in the attic. Marking down electrical fixtures and lowering sections of the ceiling beforehand can speed up leak detection while saving time during inspection - so get ready for some detective work! 

Reduce wasted hot water and save money with pipe insulation! Uninsulated metal pipes are great conductors of heat, which can be an issue when it comes to running the hot tap - leaving you standing there waiting for the temperature to change. An affordable solution is insulating your piping system in order to trap heat within them and reduce wait time down significantly so that you don't waste any valuable H20 or hard-earned cash! 

Insulating your Connecticut home's pipes offers more than just peace of mind - it can also provide tangible financial savings. Not only does insulation create a barrier to protect against heat loss and gain, but this means hot water stays hotter for longer without the need for reheating in between uses. This lowers electricity bills while increasing convenience: no more waiting around at the kitchen sink! Investing in pipe insulation is an easy way to improve plumbing efficiency and save money on utility costs all year long. 

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.