How Insulation Impacts Energy Efficiency in Michigan

How Insulation Impacts Energy Efficiency

If you live in a Mid-Michan city like Ann Arbor, Brighton, Lansing, Flint, Midland, Saginaw, Bay City, or others there is a good chance that that your home is over 40 years old and the current insulation in your walls and attic has compressed and deteriorated drastically loosing its R-value.

Insulating the building properly can reduce energy wastage exponentially because buildings account for about 40% of all energy consumption in the United States. It will reduce the load on the HVAC systems and help you save some money.

This guide will help you understand the importance of insulating your home or building. It will also help you get a better understanding of the relation between energy efficiency and insulation and much more! Let’s get to understanding insulation and its impact on energy efficiency.

What is Meant by Energy Efficiency?

To put it straightforward, energy efficiency refers to usage of less energy in order to do the same task. Thereby lowering energy bills and minimizing pollution.

One of the simplest ways to decrease energy wastage and lower energy bills is to increase energy efficiency. It is also one of the most effective and feasible methods to tackle climate change, clean the air we breathe, assist families in sticking to their budgets, and enhance businesses' bottom lines.

Insulation and Energy Efficienc: Understanding the Relation

Now that you know what energy efficiency is, it is time to discuss the correlation with insulation.

Insulation refers to using a material to restrict the airflow or leakage from our house. Generally, the material we use as an insulator acts as a barrier by reducing heat loss or gain.

On the other hand, efficiency gets affected when the output is not ideal. Or, basically, the useful work done by your HVAC systems is not as expected.

Thus, insulation and efficiency are directly related. But how? Let's see!

A lot of energy is lost from our homes, resulting in lower or higher temperatures in the respective weather. So, the resultant or the output temperature is not equal to the supposed or ideal temperature.

In other words, your house doesn't reach the expected temperature by using the HVAC system for a particular time. And to make up for the lost energy or the temperature change, our HVAC systems work longer.

Hence, the energy efficiency is low. However, if you get your house properly insulated (be it using spray foam insulation or concrete insulation), you will notice that your home gets cool or warm in much lesser time. That is, the energy efficiency is higher!

In a nutshell, the better your home or building insulation is, the higher energy efficiency will be.

Benefits of Insulation in Homes

Are you planning to invest in solar panels, solar water heating, heat pumps, or any other green energy source for your home? The first step you should take is to improve your home's insulation!

U.S. Department of Energy data show that 50% of a residential building's heating costs come from heat escaping through the roof, walls, foundation and poor attic insulation.

Therefore, thermal insulation is necessary to maintain the temperature in the house. It is one of the most effective ways to save energy in your home, as it keeps you warm in winter and cools in summer, along with saving energy. What better solution could one ask for?

Additionally, this can help to ensure the occupants' comfort and alongside, maintain the home's energy efficiency too. A well-insulated home is energy efficient and requires very little additional heating and cooling. It prevents heat transfer from the inside to the outside of your home.

Also, insulation that fillsthe cavities in the building reduces airflow or leaks and saves energy.

So, by insulating your home, you can reduce the building’s heat loss during cold weather and reduce excess heat during warmer weather or seasons. Also, the better you insulate your home, the less you have to spend on electricity!

Summing Up

If you have a well-insulated home, you will use much lesser energy for heating and cooling, and in fact, you can cut your annual costs considerably. And, who wouldn’t want to save on their energy bills?

A well-insulated home is a sure way to save on energy bills, and energy-efficient home is even better for the environment. In addition to effective insulation, taking the time to fix leaks in your home's structure will prevent your home's comfort and energy from escaping from every corner.

Contact a good insulation contractor near you. We’d suggest you get in touch with the experts from Koala Insulation of Mid-Michigan and they’ll ensure you get top notch service at the best possible prices, because we are locally-owned and operated and this is our community and family too!