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How to Tell if Your House is Well Insulated | Koala Insulation

How to Tell if Your House Is Well Insulated: Signs of Poor Insulation

Whether your home was built five or 50 years ago, chances are that it isn’t properly insulated. Unless extra insulation was added when the home was built, the walls most likely lack a few layers of much needed insulation.

Poor insulation is more common than not because of how the housing industry operates. Home builders install the bare minimum amount of insulation to ensure the house meets code and passes inspection. Installing anything more would cost money and put a dent in their profit margin.

Wondering if your home is properly insulated? Here are some of the most common signs that your home is either poorly insulated or under-insulated.

High Energy Bills

Look at your home’s energy bills over the last two years. Do you notice an increase in energy use compared to the same time last year? As your home ages, blown-in insulation, which is used in most attics, starts to settle. This makes it less effective at keeping cold air out.

Poor insulation makes it impossible for your home to maintain a comfortable temperature. This means that your HVAC system will be working in overdrive, especially during the colder and hotter months.

When your HVAC system is continuously running, your electricity bill will skyrocket.

Temperature Fluctuations

Another common and noticeable sign of poor insulation is uneven temperatures in your home. If your home is properly insulated, temperatures will only fluctuate when you change the thermostat.

If different rooms in your homes have different temperatures, this is a sign that your home is lacking proper insulation throughout.

Cold Floors, Walls, and Ceilings

A simple yet effective way to put your home’s insulation to the test is with a simple touch test. If your home is properly insulated, the interior floors, walls, and ceilings should feel dry and warm.

When there’s not enough insulation or if the insulation is low quality, your home’s interior is likely to feel cold and damp.

You can also touch test an exterior wall of your home, which should feel cold.

Frozen Pipes

Are frozen pipes a routine occurrence during the winter in your home? If so, this is a big warning sign that your home isn’t well insulated. Proper insulation should keep cold air out and warm air in. If your pipes are freezing, that means that cold air is coming in and warm air is going out.

Frozen pipes not only impact water availability. They can burst and cause expensive water damage.

Critters in Your Home

You don’t mind opening your home to guests, but bugs, mice, and other critters aren’t welcome! If you’re finding insects and rodents in your house, they’re entering through small holes near windows and doors.

These openings also allow warm out to escape and cold air to enter, which will cause temperature fluctuations in your home.

Water Leaks in the Attic

Dampness or puddles of water in the attic are telltale signs of a water leak. While they can be caused by all sorts of reasons, chances are that poor insulation is a contributing factor.

Just as poor insulation lets cold air in and heat out of your home, it can also let water in.

Why Insulation is Important

Do you know that over 40% of your utility bill is spent on heating and cooling costs? The number is even higher if your home is poorly insulated.

If your home is under-insulated or has poor quality insulation, your HVAC system is constantly working to replace the air that escapes throughout the walls.

Any gaps in your home’s insulation allows heat to escape while letting cold air in. This makes it impossible to keep your home at a steady temperature.

What You Can Do If Your Home is Poorly Insulated

The good news is that there are some things you can do to keep your house warm in the winter and cool during the summer. Start by using caulk to seal any cracks around your home. You may also want to add weather stripping to windows and doors. This will minimize heat loss so that your home stays comfortable, even during a blistery cold winter.

However, these fixes aren’t enough to replace a lack of insulation. If you want to ensure your home is properly insulated, you need to hire an insulation contractor.

Trusted Insulation Contractor Serving Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is known for having hot summers and cold winters, which makes it even more important to have a properly insulated home. If you live in the area and are looking for a professional insulation contractor, choose Koala Insulation.

Our mission is to deliver efficiency while improving comfort. We offer a variety of services, including:

• Attic insulation evaluations
• Insulation installation
• Air sealing
• Insulation removal

We offer many different types of insulation, including blown-in cellulose and fiberglass, insulation, spray foam, dense packing, and batt insulation. You can trust Koala Insulation to keep your home comfortable all year round.

Call us today at (412) 643-4980 to schedule an estimate.