No matter where you live in the U.S. your home can benefit from having the right amount of insulation and your bank account will benefit from the energy savings. Insulation is for convection, radiation and conduction. It controls the air movement from a warmer to a cooler area and from a cooler area to a warmer area. It radiates the heat in summer away from the interior of your home and it reduces the conduction of the cooler air away from your home in winter.
Why do you need to replace your insulation?
Insulation will settle, become less dense and therefore less effective over time. 85% of the homes in the U.S. use standard fiberglass insulation. This type of insulation may need to be replaced over time. The best way to determine the effectiveness of your insulation is to have a respected insulation contractor to your home to look at your attic to make this determination. You can also have an energy audit. According to oilprice.com you can save anywhere from $100-$1,500 a year on your energy bills by having a well insulated home. (These figures are based on an HVAC system that uses natural gas.)
What are the Benefits to replacing your insulation?
Insulation saves you money.
Adding more insulation or upgrading the R value of your existing insulation can be a cost saving benefit. Use this calculator to determine the payback estimate the cost effectiveness of your additional insulation.
Insulation helps fight global warming and climate change by reducing CO2 emissions.
Insulation increases your comfort level in the summer and winter
Insulation decreases your fire hazard risk.
Fiberglass insulation is inorganic and noncombustible. However, the vapor facing used on rolled fiberglass insulation is flammable. Make sure that your faced insulation is covered by a building code approved finish after installation to avoid risks. If, upon inspection, you find that your current insulation is faced and has not been covered, call your local insulation contractor for a quote on having it replaced.
Insulation is thought of by most to lower your energy bills and keep your home warmer in the winter but it is just as effective for your summer bills and comfort levels. Have your attic insulation inspected. Get the most out of your HVAC system this summer by making sure that the insulation in your attic is as effective and efficient as it can be.
Thanks for the information! I thought that the information about why it’s important to replace fiberglass insulation was interesting. It’s hard to believe that 85% of home sin the U.S. use fiberglass insulation and need to have it changed after a few years. I’m not sure if my home uses fiberglass, but I’m positive that it needs to be replaced. I still need to decide on the type of insulation that I want to have installed, but I hope that I make the right choice so that my home will be warm this winter.
All these points are right on target. Being in the HVAC industry, I can also say that proper insulation and increase the life span of your big equipment, like air conditioners and furnaces. When these machines have to work extra hard or overtime, they don’t last as long as they potentially could. Having your home insulation evaluated is such a great idea for so many reasons!
I was wondering why someone would need to replace the insulation. Know I know. I have to say that a lot of people probably didn’t know that insulation settles or that it helps fight global warming. All good points have been made here for looking at your attic insulation a little closer.