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Insulation and Energy Awareness

Posted October 8, 2010 By Lucas Hamilton of Certainteed

Colder weather is on its way! Don’t wait to make sure your home is operating efficiently. The Federal Energy Tax Credit will expire at the end of the year. If you have not taken advantage of the $1500 rebate you should do so before December 31, 2010.

The benefits of an energy-efficient home are endless but here are a few:

You can reduce monthly utility bills
Enjoy a more comfortable home by eliminating cold and hot spots
Reduce the home’s carbon footprint by using less carbon based energy sources. This is increasingly important across many communities in the U.S.

Doing a little homework will increase your results. Conduct that energy audit. Enlist the help of a professional to conduct an energy audit. Here are a few things to look for:

If you can see floor joists in the attic, you need to add more insulation
If you can see daylight around a door or window, there’s an air leak.
Run a damp hand along the edges of windows and doors. If there is a draft, it will feel cool to your hand.
Look for dirty paint at the edges of your outlets on exterior walls- they may need sealing.
Look for dirty carpet along the base boards of your exterior walls- you may need to seal the drywall to your sub-floor.

Insulation is the most important addition to a home for improving comfort and savings. Homeowners have options in the type of insulation that would be best in solving the problem: fiberglass batt insulation, blown-in insulation or spray foam insulation. The key areas to focus on are:

Unfinished basements which can contribute to one-third of a home’s heat loss.
The attic: especially if the home is more than 30 years old. It is likely it is substantially below current code recommendations for energy-efficiency.
Add insulation to exterior walls. Consult a contractor to drill small holes in the stud cavity and add blown-in insulation.
Use insulation backed siding when re-siding your home.

Emmons Construction can handle all of your insulation needs. Contact us today for a free estimate!