Insulation, Why? Where? And What to use.

In the average home, temperature control accounts form almost 70% of energy use, weather it be from heating or air conditioning. Adding insulation will help reduce the amount of energy needed to keep your home around a preferred temperature.

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   Most homes through out North America have not been built with the best level of insulation, older homes will find a big difference if insulation is added, and even adding insulation to newer homes will save enough money to pay for itself in a few years.
   The main priorities to insulate should be your attic, because as we all know heat rises, and cold air falls. By insulation the attic you cut down on the amount of heat that will escape through your roof. Another area to deal with is under floors over unheated areas, such as crawl spaces and cellars. And last but not least the exterior walls.
   There a few different types of insulation, but the most common are Batt, Blown, and Rigged
   Batt insulation is made from fiber glass or other mineral fibers and comes in rolls or bundles that are the widths of most common spacings between joists and wall studs.
   Most batt insulation is moister resistant and relatively easy to work with. How ever, it can be easily damaged if it gets wet, and if compressed can loose some of its insulation value.
   Blown or Loose Fill insulation is usually the cheapest, and easiest to use to insulate already built walls. It is made from chopped up fiberglass or mineral wool fibers; it can also be made from cellulose fibers which is shredded newsprint that has been treated with a fire retardant substance.
   Blown Insulation is usually used in horizontal spaces such as floors and ceilings, but it may also be used in preconstructed walls as long as precautions have been taken to prevent the fill from settling and compressing itself which will result in the loss of insulation value.
   Rigged comes in sheets usually 2 feet by 8 feet and is made from a variety of materials such as polystyrene. Rigged insulation can easily be added to exterior walls when doing renovation and can be used to block air leaks if laid in a grid pattern.
   The local environment needs to be considered when using Rigged insulation. Polyurethane sheets should not be used for built up roof systems because in can become dimensionally unstable in high humidity areas.
   Adding insulation will not only save you money while you live in your home, it will also increase the resale value of your home.