BALTIMORE Blog

The Basics of Insulation in Baltimore

We spend a great deal of time in our homes. So ensuring that our home is comfortable and energy efficient is very important. Insulation in your home provides resistance to heat flow and lowers your heating and cooling costs. Properly insulating your home not only reduces heating and cooling costs, but also improves comfort.

The Basics of How Insulation Works

To understand how insulation works you need to understand heat flow, which involves conduction, convection, and radiation. Most common insulation materials work by slowing conductive heat flow and convective heat flow. Radiant barriers and reflective insulation systems work by reducing radiant heat gain. To be effective, the reflective surface must be in contact with an air space.

In a home heat travels from warmer to cooler areas until there is no longer a temperature difference in the home. So in the winter heat will flow directly from all heated living spaces to nearby unheated areas that include: attics, garages, basements, and especially to the outdoors. Heat flow can also move indirectly through interior ceilings, walls, and floors--wherever there is a difference in temperature. During the cooling season, heat flows from the outdoors to the interior of a house.

In order to keep your home comfortable all year long, the heat lost in the winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gained in the summer must be removed by your cooling system. Having a properly insulated home will decrease this heat flow by having an effective resistance to the flow of heat.

Types of Insulation

At Koala Insulation of Baltimore we offer a variety of insulation types to serve your commercial or residential needs. Here are the different types of insulation we offer:

Batt Insulation: One of the most recognizable forms in insulation is batt insulation, which comes in large rolls or pre-cut sections and is typically pink or yellow in color.  These batts, or blankets, are installed in sheet form and laid out between the studs in walls, floors, and attics.

Blown-In Insulation: Loose-fill insulation can be made from cellulose, fiberglass, and mineral wool though the most common materials today are cellulose and fiberglass. Dense-pack insulation, which, like loose-fill, is blown into the space.  Dense-pack insulation can fill each and every space, insuring an effective barrier against heat loss.

Spray Foam Insulation: Spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation is particularly useful when it comes to helping eliminate the gaps that let energy escape -- and that increase your heating and cooling bills each month.

The insulation professionals at Koala insulation of Baltimore are trained and experienced in improving the environment of our communities. Our local crew offers free evaluations so your household has a better understanding of your home’s needs. We also break down the current condition of your insulation and air sealing so you can target pain points and future updates while taking into account your schedule and budget. Contact Koala Insulation of Baltimore to learn more about how our free evaluations can impact your comfort, safety, and savings.