Don't be left out in the cold by not properly insulating your home!
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Sponsored by Berkeys Air Conditioning and Plumbing
Written by Adam Mennega, Service Manager, Berkeys
We all know the saying “If youbrdon't like the weather in Texas, just wait 5 minutes” and just as quickly asbrthe weather changes here, so will the temperature in your home if you don'tbrhave proper insulation.
Types of Insulation
There are many types of insulation,breach with different ratings and applications. The most common types of atticbrinsulation are Blanket insulation and spray insulation. Blanket insulation,bralso known as Batt or Roll insulation consists of flexible fibers such asbrfiberglass, which when handled can cause itchy skin and eye irritation. Thisbrtype of insulation can also cause irritation long after installation,brespecially if you have an attic storage space.
At Berkeys, webrrecommend Owens Corning AttiCat BlownbrInsulation for its superior thermal and acoustical performance as well asbrits natural and recycled ingredients. This type of insulation also causes nobrskin and eye irritation, is formaldehyde free, non-flammable and includes abrlifetime warranty.
What are R-Values and how much insulation do I need?
ThebrR-Value of insulation material refers to its thickness. The lowest R-Value ofbr11, for example, is just 3 ½ inches thick, while R-38 is around 12 inches. Dependingbron the age and type of your home, it'sbrimportant to know how much insulation it has. brTexas Building Codes require at least 12 inches of Insulation in yourbrattic (R-38) for newer constructions, but we usually recommend at least anbrR-Value of 60, or about 16 to 18 inches.
Improved Air Quality and Energy Savings
A properly insulated attic meansbrmore balanced interior temperature and less strain on your HVAC equipment, thusbrextending the life of those units. The amount of insulation that will work inbryour attic is also dependent on how much space is available. It's important notbrto stuff your roof up to the rafters with insulation, but allow for a goodbrbalance of material and airflow. Attic ventilation is an important factor whenbrregulating temperature in your home. We recommend non-restricted soffit ventsbrand solar powered attic vents for proper ventilation (see gallery).
Installation
You should always have a licensedbrHVAC professional install insulation for you. At Berkeys we take extra care tobrmake sure that your attic is not only well insulated, but also properlybrventilated.
During installation,brwe first make sure that all soffit vents are free of obstructions, such asbrwood, dirt or old insulation. We also install soffit vent baffles that preventbrinsulation material from covering up the vent.
Next we check for anybrcan lights (recessed ceiling lights) and make sure we install covers for each.brCovering these with insulation can cause the lights to overheat and burn outbrquicker.
To ensure properbrinsulation thickness when spraying, we use Owens Corning rulers throughout thebrattic. We also make sure that the entry and storage area of your attic is freebrof the blown in material. Additionally, we recommend the installation of abrAttic Tent which can prevent energy loss to and from your attic and keep outbrdust when opening the pull-down door. To find out more about the Attic Tent asbrwell as the benefits of our Home Energy Audit, visit Berkeys.
Things to watch out for
Beware of unlicensed contractors!brToo many times, we get called in to rescue a bad insulation job where thebrmaterial was either unevenly applied or the wrong insulation was installed,brvent covers were obstructed or can lights started to overheat. Not to mentionbrhow many times we've encountered an attic door that was covered in insulationbronly to be greeted by a shower of blown insulation when opening the pull downbrdoor! A bad insulation job can end up costing you more in the long run.
Benefits of a properly insulated home
As I already mentioned above,brimmediate benefits of insulation include better balance of air temperature andbrless strain on your HVAC equipment, thus extending its lifetime significantly.brThink about the huge cost of new equipment, or ongoing repair costs versus abrone-time investment in proper insulation. It also goes without saying that ifbryour HVAC equipment runs less, you'll see savings in your monthly energy bills.brThese can vary depending on the size of your home, age of the equipment andbralso its efficiency ratings, but on average you can expect monthly savings of up to 30% with a properly insulatedbrattic.
About Berkeys
Berkeys is an award winning homebrservice company, providing quality plumbing, air conditioning, and heatingbrservices to homeowners in the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex for over 35 years.
All of our technicians, arebrbackground-checked, drug tested and have passed rigorous state examinations andbrare licensed by the State of Texas; they understand the complexity of statebrcodes all the way down to local requirements.
Berkeys maintains an A+ rating withbrthe Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has led the field in area newspapers'brreaders' favorite polls. For more information about Berkeys,brvisit www.berkeys.com or call 877-BERKEYS
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