How Much Insulation Does My Home Need?

Insulation is as vital to your house as the wood that makes its structure. It provides several benefits that keep you and your family comfortable in the place that you call home. If your home needs insulation services or you’re researching how to place insulation in a new build correctly, it’s essential to know how much insulation your home will need and what type is best for you to use.

The Benefits of Insulation for Homes

Most people know that insulation is crucial to saving on energy costs. Home insulation keeps your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer by preventing your heat or air conditioning from leaking outside through your walls or air from coming inside. There are several more benefits of having your home properly insulated, though, including:

• Pest control: Insulation can be useful in avoiding bug infestations by creating an extra seal in your walls that’s nearly impossible for them to get through. Some insulations even have bug-killing properties to stop outbreaks before they can start.
• Eco-friendliness: Insulation can reduce your home’s carbon footprint by making it more efficient in its heating and cooling processes.
• Noise reduction: If you live in a well-insulated home, you won’t hear as much noise from outside, like cars passing by or crowds from nearby ball games.
• Moisture control: Damn air and rain can wreak havoc on your home’s structure if it’s not insulated properly. Insulation creates a barrier, making it a challenge for moisture to seep into your home.

When installed correctly, insulation can be beneficial in keeping your home’s heating and cooling costs down, reducing noise from outside and between the rooms in your house, and keeping pesky critters out where they belong. However, you’ll want to make sure that you’re hiring insulation experts to do the job right from the start.

Types of Insulation

There are a few commonly used types of insulation found in homes today, and it’s important to choose the right one for your home. Some kinds to consider include:

• T.A.P. insulation: Thermal Acoustical Pest Control (T.A.P.) insulation is cellulose-based insulation that is more efficient than fiberglass and has a unique benefit: It kills bugs before they ever get a chance to enter your home.
• Spray foam insulation: Spray foams are generally fire-resistant and can be the easiest to install with a special sprayer. These insulations can give an excellent seal because they begin to expand immediately after being sprayed onto a surface.
• Fiberglass insulation: This is, perhaps, the most commonly used insulation in modern homes, made from woven strands of glass. Fiberglass is non-flammable and highly effective, but it can be dangerous to install without the use of proper safety equipment and the right techniques.
• Slag wool insulation: Made from slag in steel mills, this insulation can come loose or in batts and is a good option for insulating large areas of the home.

Where Do I Need Insulation?

Your home should have insulation in all exterior walls, as this is where most air can enter and escape. Even basement floors, if they’re above ground level, can benefit from insulation. Any floors above cold areas of your home, like a garage or porch, should also be insulated. Your attic’s walls and floors, if unfinished, are also especially important to insulate to provide a tight seal between it and your home, since this is a prime area for bugs to enter and air to seep through.

How Much Insulation Does My Home Need?

How much insulation your home needs depends mostly on the size of your home, but installation experts will also take into consideration where you leave and your primary heating and cooling sources. You’ll need to measure the length and width of each wall requiring insulation to determine square footage and add each figure together to decide how much you’ll need for your home. It’s always better to overestimate than underestimate when it comes to insulating your home. At Budget Pest Control, we offer insulation services to update current insulation or get your new home started with excellent insulation from the get-go. Our T.A.P. insulation services can keep bugs out of your home, make your home more efficient, and even cut down noise from the outdoors. If you’re interested in learning more about our insulation services, please contact us today – we’ll also provide you with a free quote!