With winter fast approaching, a recent article featured in The Times Union (NY) stressed the importance of ensuring your home is properly insulated.
Fickle weather patterns, rising utility costs and government incentives have many homeowners considering expensive enhancements and sustainable, energy-efficient improvements, like solar panels and air-source heat pumps. However, unless you also have money to burn, investing in a heating system upgrade is futile if your home is drafty and under-insulated.
“It doesn’t matter how cheap you make heat, like having the highest efficiency boiler ever or having heat pumps that are all electric, if you’re losing it anyway,” says Paul Mendel, owner and operator of True Building Performance, an independently-owned and certified New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) home performance contractor.
Ensuring your home is properly insulated is the simplest way to reduce high energy consumption and soaring costs, yet it is one of the most overlooked ways to improve a home’s comfort and efficiency, says Mendel. Many homes today aren’t adequately insulated, and insufficient insulation and air leaks can lead to a host of household problems and higher energy bills.
Energy efficient buildings are key to reducing energy costs. One of the best ways to air seal and insulate your home is by installing spray foam insulation. As explained by one EPA official, “before you even ever think about buying new appliances,” optimizing your insulation “is the best way not only to make your house more comfortable, but also drop your energy bills.”