Benefits of Insulation

Cool in Summer & Warm in Winter

Heat moves into & out of your home in four ways: conduction, convection, radiation and air infiltration.

Heat rises and leaves your home through an under or uninsulated attic in the winter.

If your attic is insulated but your walls are not (20-40% of older homes in OC have added attic insulation at some point but less than 4% have added insulation to the exterior walls) attic insulation will only slow down the rate at which heat leaves the house as it will roll along the ceiling (like water in reverse) and escape through the top 24″ of the walls.

Air infiltration allows cold, conditioned air to leak through the attic and the walls in the summer as radiant heat continues to conduct through the exterior and common garage walls and radiate down from the attic.

20-35% Average Savings on Utility Bills

According to studies the average pre-1975, single story, 1400 square foot home currently saves over $500/year in heating and cooling costs by fully insulating their attic and walls.

This is in addition to the ongoing annual credit Edison offers of $150-250.

As summers continue to get warmer and winters get cooler utility rates (both gas and electric) are expected to continue to rise up to 10% per year.

Postponing properly insulating your home will only cause you to spend more on utility bills in the mean time.

As the awareness of the need for long term energy conservation grows, proper insulation will continue to become more of a deciding factor for potential home buyers.

Sound Control

Insulation provides more effective sound control than drywall alone.

If you’ve ever been in a building that had little or no insulation, you probably noticed that you heard a lot more noise from outside than in a well-insulated building.

This is because the sound transmission coefficient (STC) of an insulated building is lower.

The STC is a calculation of the acoustic performance of a wall or ceiling, and a higher number is better than a lower number.

Fire Retardant 

House fires, particularly in older homes with aluminum wiring, are far more common than most homeowners realize.

According to a recent study Cellulose insulation is 57% more fire resistant than fiberglass insulation and has been credited with providing firefighters with the extra time needed to save residents trapped in a house fire.

Insect & Rodent Prevention

Cellulose insulation is treated with Boric Acid, which is a commonly used chemical by pest control companies as it effectively prevents insect & rodent infestations while being non-toxic to humans.

Types of Insulation

Cellulose Insulation

Made from recycled newsprint and other recycled paper, and treated with nontoxic fire retardants, cellulose insulation has been a tried and true method of insulating homes for decades.

Its excellent sound insulating properties, its ability to provide an effective 1-hour fire rating, high R-value per inch, and industry leading environmental properties, makes cellulose a perfect choice for insulating attics and sidewalls.

Fiberglass Insultation

Fiberglass insulation is made from molten glass that is spun or blown into fibers. The recycled content of fiberglass insulation ranges from 0-40%, but that includes waste generated during manufacturing. Fiberglass also doesn’t decompose once it’s put into a landfill. Its most common forms are rolls and batts, which are used in wall cavities and attics.

Fiberglass is non-combustible, but it will melt in a fire, potentially allowing that fire to spread. Numerous tests have shown that cellulose insulation is better at preventing the spread of fire in a building.

Care should be taken when installing fiberglass to wear protective clothing and a respirator, per the manufacturer’s guidelines, to avoid direct contact with, or inhaling of, the glass fibers.

Spray Foam insulation 

Spray foam insulation are petroleum based products.

They require professional installation, using special equipment to measure, mix, and spray the foam.

Due to their ability to help reduce air leaks, they are often used in selected areas where the reduction of air leaks is critical, although it can be used throughout a structure.

The cost to insulate using spray foam is typically significantly higher than other materials.

Excess sprayed foam insulation from the job site can’t be reused, nor can it be recycled.