Insulation 101: Everything You Need to Know

Winter in Minnesota waits for no one. As autumn moves forward and the temperatures drop, your home’s heating system is put to the test. If you’re spending more than you should on your monthly heating costs or your home is drafty, it may be time to update your home’s insulation. If your home is underinsulated, your heater has to work extra hard to keep up, shortening its lifespan and adding to your energy costs.

At Budget Exteriors, we can help you maximize your home’s energy efficiency with wall and attic insulation upgrades. In this blog post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about insulation for your Twin Cities area home. And give us a call to discuss insulation upgrades to reduce your monthly heating bills!

Heat and Your Home

The key to understanding insulation’s role in your home is understanding how heat flow works. Heat moves in several different ways. With conduction, heat moves through walls, floors, and other materials. When heat rises, known as convection, it makes the upper level and attic of your home warmer. Heat continues to flow toward colder areas until the area is neutralized.

The goal of insulation is to limit the flow of heat from your home’s interior to exterior, preventing heat loss and keeping your home warmer. The invisible seal around your home that’s formed with high-performance insulation is sometimes referred to as a “thermal envelope.” Ideally, your home’s thermal envelope should keep heat inside your home, creating a more comfortable and consistent ambient temperature throughout the year.

The Role of R-Value

All insulation products in the United States are rated using R-values so consumers are able to make an informed purchase. The term “R-value” is used to describe insulation’s level of thermal resistance. A higher R-value better prevents the flow of heat than insulation with a lower R-value.

There are two primary types of insulation for your home, each doing a critical job in preserving its warmth and comfort.

Attic Insulation

Unfortunately, one of the biggest sources of heat loss is through a home’s attic. Attic transfers heat through the roof, melting snow and causing ice dams to form. These can cause severe damage to your roof, siding, and even your home’s gutters.

With the right insulation, you do not only cut down on heat loss but also on energy costs. Budget Exterior offers premier options, like ProCat, which consists of expanding fiberglass insulation that is mildew and mold resistant. It also expands to fill cracks and holes, protecting your thermal envelope. 

Other types of insulation that work best for attics include blown-in loose fill, batts and rolls, or flexible fiber sheets, and foam insulation.

Wall Insulation

Much like appropriate attic insulation, wall insulation keeps valuable heat inside your home where it keeps your warm home. We count on our home’s walls for support, safety, security, and comfort. If there is a continuous draft, Midwest winters get much longer.

If your home is drafty or the temperature is inconsistent, the wall insulation installers with Budget Exterior can fill your walls with RetroFoam spray foam wall insulation. In addition to a reduction in energy costs, foam insulation makes homes quieter by reducing noise pollution from outside your walls.

The Effects of Poor Insulation On Your Home

While poor insulation, for the most obvious reasons, keeps your home cold during harsh Midwest winters, there are several other effects. Avoid these negative effects with new, up-to-date insulation.

Poor Air Quality

When warm air escapes your home, dirty air can get in. Your home’s insulation doesn’t only keep your home comfortable, but it also keeps your home safe as well. Poor air quality may result in health problems, such as sneezing, sore throat, coughing, as well as allergy and asthma complications.

Poor Temperature Control

Although it is a very apparent effect of poor insulation, it is worth repeating that you aren’t able to control your home’s warmth if it is leaving on its own. Air continually leaks in or out, so no matter what you do to the thermostat, you cannot control the comfort of a drafty home. With appropriate insulation, it is much easier to keep your home comfortable and warm—or cool in the summer.

Encourages Excess Moisture

Poor insulation allows air leaks, which causes a reduction in your home’s ability to retain heat. You will see an increase in your energy bills and an increase in the moisture in your home. Not only is a damp, moist environment incredibly uncomfortable, it becomes the ideal breeding ground for mold and mildew.

Call The Twin Cities Spray Foam Insulation Contractors with Budget Exteriors

If you’re tired of bundling up inside your own home and you dread opening your heating bill each month, give us a call at Budget Exteriors. We offer a wide range of solutions to complete your home’s thermal envelope from insulation to efficient windows and doors.

To connect with our Budget Exteriors roof insulation contractors, contact us at 952-887-1613 or connect with us online to get your free quote.