A recent article from The Washington Post explains the importance of choosing the right insulation for your home, highlighting the superior performance spray foam insulation delivers to homeowners looking to keep their home comfortable year-round while also reducing their energy bills.
With the proper insulation material and installation, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that homeowners can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs.
For homeowners that continually crank up their thermostat but still remain cold, it may be time to check your home’s insulation needs. The article notes the importance of not only insulating but air sealing your home, as heat can escape through a home’s attic, walls, and any other air leaks that may exist.
According to Keith A. Simon, vice president of design phase services at Salas O’Brien, an engineering firm, fiberglass batts only insulate but don’t air seal a home, comparing the material to wearing a wool sweater on a windy day. “The wind just cuts right through you and you’re freezing cold,” said Simon. “You have plenty of insulation, but it’s not airtight, and so it doesn’t work. So, same thing with houses. You have to have both. You have to have insulating value, but you also need airtightness to be not just high-performance in terms of energy efficiency, but also comfortable.”
Simon goes on to say that spray foam both insulates and air seals your home, calling it “a very significant upgrade in performance over fiberglass batts and other common types of cavity insulation”
As winter weather begins to sweep across the U.S., homeowners should look to spray foam insulation as a common-sense solution to keep their home warm and save money while doing so.