Author: scmedia

Man inspects installed insulation at home | Attic Insulation & Air Sealing by First Defense Insulation

Why Insulation Isn’t Always the Answer

Posted on | by scmedia

What is insulation?

Insulation is the material used to ensure maximum home efficiency by reducing heat flow. In relation to the comfort of your home, thermal insulation increases energy efficiency and reduces heat loss or gain by acting as a barrier between areas that are significantly different in temperature.?

 

Why isn’t insulation always the answer?

While insulation is truly vital to maintaining the temperatures and energy efficiency in your home, there could be other problem areas to check before assuming you need to completely re-insulate. If you?re experiencing one area in the home that has suffering airflow or the opposite, much colder than the rest of the home, there are a few things you can check!

 

What else should be considered?

  1. Air duct issues. Uninsulated, leaky ductwork will cause your HVAC system to be inefficient and will negatively impact your home’s comfort, especially if the ducts are in the attic.
  2. Sealing issues. Gaps and cracks in your home are an unavoidable part of homeownership. There are several reasons why these spaces form, but every home is subject to the airflow that can occur through these areas. Without proper air sealing, this air leakage will negatively impact your home’s comfort.
  3. Damage to your roof. Ice dams are a common side effect of poor attic insulation during the winter, and icicles on the edge of your roof are an obvious warning sign. Ice dams can lead to damage to shingles and gutters, as well as eventually cause roof leaks and water damage.

Ultimately, a home care report is necessary before making assumptions about the discomfort of your home. First Defense Insulation offers attic insulation in Houston with free home care consultations to assure you that we turn over every rock to assess any reason to be causing discomfort!?

Measuring Insufficient Insulation

Signs of Insufficient Insulation

Posted on | by scmedia

How do you know when your home has Signs of Insufficient Insulation? Your home will tell you!

Different rooms are different temperatures

If you’re detecting different temperatures when you walk from room to room, even on the same floor, your home may be under-insulated. If one room stays stuffy and uncomfortable while another is the correct temperature, it’s a sign that something is off. These changes can include the location to the sun in comparison to the room, the time of year, and of course, whether it’s insulated or not. The same goes when a room is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.

Your energy bills are higher than normal

When your home is insufficiently insulated, your HVAC system is having to work overtime to compensate for the lack of regulation. All of that extra work is costing you money. It’s causing you to pay extra money on heated or cooled air that is just escaping through your walls, attic, and windows. The spikes of your bills during the winter and summer are trying to tell you something.

Unwanted pests

Insulation fills little crevices that allow bugs and rodents to enter your home, so if you’re seeing an appearance of unwanted house guests, it may be time to check your old cellulose insulation.

Hot walls, cold floors, drafty hallways

These are all signs that air isn’t circulating the way that it’s supposed to. If your walls and floors are changing temperatures to reflect the outdoors, then the temperature is passing through the building materials of your home, which will add to your bills and your discomfort. Drafts tend to come through cracks in windows, doors, and entryways, which can make the home cooler in the cold months. Drafts reduce the effectiveness of your HVAC system.?

Fix your insulation

Now that you know Signs of Insufficient Insulation in your home, you know when to call First Defense. Still not sure if you need to re-insulate? Call us for a free home comfort inspection or request online today!

A dog in front of fan | First Defense Insulation

Tips to Keeping Your Home Cool

Posted on | by scmedia

We understand the frustration (especially in the heat of Texas summers) of living in a house that is TOO hot. While we can provide substantial solutions such as insulation services, duct sealing, and more? we also want to offer some free advice on ways to keep your home cool. Here are a few tips to consider!

 

Block the Light!?

For natural light lovers, this one might be hard to follow. If your windows are letting in sunlight throughout the day, it could be adding a few degrees to that area of your house. Keeping your blinds shut and using energy-efficient curtains will almost instantly cool off the room, especially during the afternoon hours.

 

Keep the Doors Shut!

Think of opening your front and back doors like opening the refrigerator. Every time you open a door, you?re letting cool air out and hot air in. If you grew up in Texas, you might recall the phrase, ?Shut the door you?re letting the bought air out!?. Here?s a trick! If you have a garage door entry, use this to enter your home instead of the front door. This is one way to keep your ?bought air? inside.?

 

Chores, at Night!

Using appliances like your washer, dryer, and dishwasher can chalk up some additional heat inside of your home. Save these chores for when the sun begins to set instead of running everything in the middle of the day. At all times, ventilate while you cook and take shorter showers.?

 

And when all else fails, call us!

House Top | First Defense Insulation

Just Add Insulation?

Posted on | by scmedia

Just adding insulation won’t solve the problem. And here’s why!?

Insulation is a material that has been designed to ensure efficiency by keeping heat out of your home. There are several types of insulation materials such as cellulose, foam, and fiberglass. These materials work to slow the heat flow and reduce radiant heat gain.?

When you’re experiencing warmer temperatures in certain areas throughout the house, or fighting to keep the house cool in general, it makes sense to question the effectiveness of your current insulation installation! However, it doesn’t always make sense to just add insulation.?

Your house could be letting in heat in areas that you cannot recognize. For example, without proper air sealing, your home could be letting in hot air and letting cold air out. This air leakage will negatively impact your home?s energy efficiency and comfort. Gaps and cracks in the attic are an unavoidable part of homeownership. There are several reasons why these spaces form, but every home is subject to the airflow that can occur through these areas.?

Another installation to consider is your home?s ductwork. Most homeowners are aware of the importance of their furnace, air conditioner, and insulation for their home?s energy efficiency, but too many homeowners forget about their ductwork. Uninsulated, leaky ductwork will cause your HVAC system to be inefficient and will negatively impact your home?s comfort, especially if the ducts are in the attic.

At First Defense Insulation, we properly evaluate every area of the home to determine exactly where the problem lies and how to best adjust it to fit your needs! We guarantee the fairest prices, professional customer service, and are happy to answer any questions you may have. Give us a call!