Top Areas To Insulate In Your Home | Koala Insulation

Top Areas To Insulate In Your Home: A Homeowner’s Guide

Insulation is still a very underrated topic in terms of a home’s energy efficiency and comfort. People spend too much time weatherproofing their doors and windows or replacing them altogether because they feel the most draftiness near these structures. True, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), up to 40% of your home’s energy is lost due to the negative impact of air infiltration. Inefficient door frames and window casings are the areas that make it most noticeable. 

But have you ever wondered whether you have sufficient insulation in your home? Our local Memphis insulation experts at Koala Insulation of Midsouth have compiled a list of top areas to insulate in your home, so you can enjoy maximum comfort with improved energy efficiency.

Top Areas To Insulate at Home

Some may be self-explanatory because of how a home is designed. Each home will have some type of insulation. But the main problem of energy loss is often due to negligence, or not keeping track of your current installation’s age or condition. When thinking about the top areas at home that need proper insulation, it is also important to remember that your current insulation may no longer be energy efficient, or it could also be damaged and causing problems.

Up to 90% of American homes are poorly insulated. If your former level of comfort has decreased, or if your monthly energy bills have gone up, it may be time to revisit your home’s insulation.

Future homeowners who are currently building their homes and want to get the job done right the first time are welcome to contact Koala Insulation about general contractor partnerships. We’ll work closely with your construction company to ensure every detail is taken care of. Here are the five most important areas to insulate in your home.

Attic

The attic space is probably the most important area to insulate in your home. Having proper attic insulation will ensure that heat transfer is kept to a minimum and your indoor comfort remains consistent. As the top part of your house, that large space is one of the more vulnerable areas in your home. Not only is your attic space fully dependent on your roof’s health (or vice versa), but it is also dependent on the health of surrounding structures, such as your windows, vents, and insulation.

With proper air sealing service around the windows and attic insulation in your rafters, wall studs, and attic floor, you’ll benefit from a high level of thermal performance. Your attic is sensitive to moisture. That is why the roof vents are designed to ventilate that space by drawing out moist air and heat buildup. In addition, you don’t want the elements to infiltrate your home. And that is where air sealing and insulation serve as a vapor barrier and air barrier. External forces will always try to invade your home via nooks and crannies.

All that said, your attic insulation also relies heavily on the health of your exterior structures. Besides your roof, it is essential to maintain a healthy rain gutter system and soffit vents.

The typical R-value of your attic insulation should ideally be R-49, with a minimum of R-38.

Walls, Ceilings, Floors

There are many layers between your interior and exterior walls and ideally, your siding is also insulated. If not, it should have at least a vapor and air barrier before the sheathing. For optimal energy efficiency and thermal performance, wall insulation is crucial. Although your drywall may look neat and textured, it doesn’t need cracks and holes to allow exterior air to seep through. If the wall in one of your rooms feels cold, we recommend checking the siding for damage. Foundation cracks pose a risk to your building’s structural integrity and, at the same time, compromise the efficiency of your wall insulation. Depending on the size and density of the interior walls, the recommended R-value of your insulation should be between R-15 and R-21.

People don’t talk much about ceiling or floor insulation unless they seek soundproofing qualities. But there is more. We highly recommend that homeowners ensure at least their ground-level floors are insulated or any flooring that is above a non-heated space. It could be the basement or garage. Otherwise, these floors may be responsible for drawing in cold air and even moisture, and this is how subfloors become prone to wood rot. Ceiling insulation is not really necessary, except when you are fixing up your basement. 

Basement

Most homes in Memphis don’t have basements, but around two to seven percent of houses here do include a subterranean level. If you have a basement, whether it is only for storage or a part-time workshop, it is worth considering basement insulation. One of our insulation pros is happy to conduct an energy audit to see how much the basement walls are responsible for heat loss. As probably the dampest area in your home, we highly recommend that you hire a licensed plumber for inspection and waterproofing. That would help keep moisture levels to a minimum. In addition, basement insulation will even triple the comfort and energy efficiency. If you’re looking to manage your monthly energy costs, feel free to inquire about our recommended insulation products. A basement insulation should have a minimum R-value of R-13.

Other Top Areas To Insulate:

While the above-mentioned areas are the most essential spaces to protect, you may also want to consider insulating:

• Garage: Garages attached to homes should be adequately insulated. They may only be mildly heated, so you want to make sure that the insulation is not responsible for heat loss. Garage door insulation may be an important area to check for air leaks.
• Crawl space: Whether a crawl space is connected to the basement or separate, they are either vented or unvented. Local building codes require them to be vented to preserve good air quality. Crawl space insulation can help you reduce energy consumption and promote cleaner air throughout your home.  

Improve Your Home Insulation With The Pros At Koala!

Contact our friendly customer service team at 901-613-1421 to learn more about how our local pros can improve your indoor living environment. Our high-quality fiberglass and mineral wool batts, as well as cellulose blown-in and spray foam insulation have helped hundreds of residential and commercial property owners live a healthier lifestyle.