Why You Should Insulate During Your Renovation
Is your home adequately insulated? Energy experts warn that most American homes lack adequate insulation for maximum energy efficiency, cost savings, and basic comfort. Although it’s easy to make sure your home is well-insulated when you’re building a new home from the ground up, this isn’t the case when you buy an older home. That’s why anytime your home is undergoing exterior remodeling or renovation, we recommend investing in additional insulation.
At Budget Exteriors, our exterior siding contractors offer a complete range of services including insulation updates. Here’s what you need to know about insulating your home during a renovation or siding replacement.
1. You’ll save money on insulation upgrades.
One of the best reasons to insulate during a renovation is financial. If you wait to upgrade your insulation, it can end up costing you more money down the road. However, when you update your insulation during a renovation, your contractor will most likely be able to save you money on the overall project including renovation. And a renovation provides a perfect opportunity to update the insulation not only in the areas you’re remodeling but in the rest of your home as well.
2. Better insulation means a better night’s sleep.
When your home is poorly insulated, you can hear every little sound from outside your home from train whistles to cars passing by to your neighbors’ sound systems. But improved insulation also helps to reduce noise levels from one room to the next.
When you’re in the living room, can you hear the toilet flush down the hallway? Does the sound of your washing machine or dishwasher make it impossible to hear the TV without turning it up all the way? Upgrading the insulation in your walls can help to reduce noise levels by as much as 15 decibels.
3. You’ll save on your home energy bills.
When insulation is inadequate, heat easily transfers from warmer to cooler areas through walls. R-value refers to the measurement of insulation as it limits the transfer of heat. Insulation with a higher R-value is more likely to limit the transfer of heat, which means your home stays warmer on cold days and cooler on hot days.
With a more consistent temperature inside your home, your HVAC system won’t have to work nearly as hard. As a bonus, your energy costs will be reduced over time, which means you’ll be able to save money as the months and years go by!.
4. Good insulation is better for the environment.
It’s more important than ever before to make choices that minimize your household’s environmental impact, and insulation can be an essential piece of that puzzle. Your homes’ electricity and gas usage from heating and cooling systems represent a large percentage of your household’s carbon footprint. That means if you’re paying less for your energy bills, your family’s impact on the planet will also be lower.
5. Your home will have fewer pest problems.
Investing in spray foam insulation can do more than just insulate your home against moisture and weather. It can also help to keep pests outside where they belong and prevent them from getting into your home. Many insects are more than happy to chow down on all types of building materials including conventional types of insulation. While they won’t eat spray foam insulation, they might tunnel through older foam insulation. That’s why new insulation is treated to prevent insects from digging in. If they attempted to ingest your new insulation, they’ll die fairly quickly.
6. Your home will be more comfortable.
If you live in a drafty home, you know all too well the pain of having to bundle up under sweaters and robes or keep blankets around your living room in the winter months. A renovation provides the perfect opportunity to get ahead of thin walls and drafty rooms with high-performance insulation. You’ll enjoy a more comfortable home during the winter and summer.
7. Insulation increases your home’s moisture barriers.
Another important function of insulation is to prevent moisture from getting into your walls and home. Moisture inside your home can lead to mildew and mold growth and damage the structure of your home, both of which can increase allergy and respiratory issues for your household.
And if you’ve got high humidity in your home, quality insulation can help with that, too. An airtight space means moist air will stay outside where it belongs, which can mean better air quality inside of your home.
Contact a Minnesota Siding Insulation Contractor
Are you thinking of renovating your home or updating your siding? Are you tired of hearing every little sound through the thin walls of your home? Talk to our contractors at Budget Exteriors about insulation options for your remodeling project. Give us a call at 952.887.1613 or contact us online and get your free quote today!