GREENVILLE Blog

5 Areas You're Losing Heat In South Carolina

In the U.S., about 90% of homes have higher heating and cooling bills caused by poor insulation and improper sealing. ENERGY STAR estimates that improving coverage could save an average of 15% in residential houses on a national scale.

While the statistics are a helpful starting point, they don’t take into account your home’s unique needs. Instead, you can use them as a beginning number to put into perspective how insulation could improve your monthly savings. First, you need to understand how older, damaged material is negatively impacting your environment.

Insulation is installed to reduce the rate of heat transfer, slowing the movement of heat through a structure. Air sealing works closely with insulation to improve indoor air quality while reducing air leaks that could create a drafty, uncomfortable environment. While you may be aware of the importance of regularly updating the material in your attic, there are many other places that are easy spaces for heat to escape.

5 Common Places You’re Losing Heat

1. Air Leaks

Cracks, holes, and other openings in your building envelope are referred to as “air leaks”. These spaces are most often found around outside access points like window sills and door jambs. Gaps like this are the result of improper or insufficient air sealing and they’re responsible for up to 30% of the heat loss in your home.

Start reducing the problem with well-maintained weatherstripping and caulking noticeable spaces. However, after sealing off outdoor access points, there are plenty of “out of sight, out of mind” spaces to check. These areas often have smaller cracks and crevices that are hard to notice, allowing conditioned air and heat to escape every day.

Consult an industry professional with a keen eye to locate untouched places you may be unintentionally neglecting. An expert inspection helps you and your household discover these overlooked gaps and poorly sealed locations. Seemingly small spaces often get taken for granted but they need to be taken care of quickly and effectively to start reducing your energy costs.

1. Underground Areas

The basement and crawl spaces qualify as the second worst on the list of common places to lose heat in your home since they often contain many hidden air leaks. Your basement walls in particular are responsible for an average of 20% of escaped air, which is worse for unfinished basements. Cement walls and the underfloor areas in an unfinished basement need to be covered in quality material to prevent unregulated heat transfer.

Well-insulated underground sections are especially crucial during extreme temperatures throughout the summer and winter. Add sufficient air sealing and properly installed insulation along the walls and ceiling of a basement or under the floorboards throughout crawlspaces to cut down on heating and cooling fees. Your local Greenville area professionals can fix material surrounding equipment like exposed pipes and wires to additionally improve the safety of the area.

1. Below Floorboards

Did you know insulation can be found right below your feet? Although underfloor insulation is one of the most significant victims of “out of sight, out of mind” material, it’s just as important as the rest of the insulation in your home.

This space plays a very important role in keeping you comfortable; 10% of heat is lost through floors that don’t have effective coverage and properly installed material. While new and upgraded insulation won’t necessarily have a “warming” effect on the floors, the material does reduce the frigid feeling in your toes when temperatures start to drop.

In addition to reducing heat loss, underfloor insulation is also a crucial vapor barrier. When you lose heat in this space, moisture can condense from the ground and lower floors. If ignored or unnoticed, you're at risk of problems like mold growth or warped wood. Maintain the space to reduce potential hazards and damages throughout the year on top of improving monthly bills.

1. Framed Walls

The material within the walls of a house additionally falls under neglect because of its disappearing act. When insulation in your walls begins to deteriorate, heat isn’t the only problem that freely moves through the space. Noise and airflow can also be an issue for neglected space.

When you begin to notice cold spots, drafts, and more noise from other rooms and the outdoors, it’s time to schedule an evaluation. Our Greenville area insulation team uses industry methods like thermal imaging to inspect the quality, coverage, and deflation of the material in these hidden areas without damaging your space.

Walls that are lacking proper insulation can lose up to 35% of the heat in a building. The problem is that exterior walls are in direct contact with outdoor air. Improper coverage prevents temperature regulation, creating an uncomfortable space. Exterior and basement walls aren’t the only problem: your interior framed walls are also major culprits. Managing the insulation inside all of these spaces reduces noise, regulates temperature, and improves the climate control capabilities of your home.

1. Attic & Upper Floors

We mentioned earlier that you're probably familiar with the fact that your attic insulation needs to be regularly upgraded. This is because many homeowners can see the batts or spray foam that fills the spaces between wall beams and ceiling joists or the loose fill that covers the floor.

Unfortunately, although homeowners are aware this material needs to be maintained, they don’t pay attention to the warning signs that may indicate they need to evaluate the material sooner. Hidden damages like moisture, infestation, and other deterioration can reduce temperature regulation capabilities prematurely, resulting in discomfort, health hazards, and energy waste. Free evaluations from Koala Insulation of Greenville can help you locate and prioritize problematic spots that you may have missed on your own.

How Can You Reduce Heat Loss With Greenville Area Experts?

Heat loss from air leaks and poorly insulated areas is a major problem that is costing our Greenville community more than homeowners may expect. Our experts at Koala Insulation of Northwest Jacksonville offer free evaluations to help you get started on cutting those costs. After inspecting the current condition of your home’s insulation and air sealing, we help you find solutions that are both cost-effective and energy-efficient.

Contact your local pros at Koala Insulation of Greenville today to schedule your free evaluation and learn more about areas in your home that could be contributing to higher costs and energy waste.