subject: Insulation: A Wise Home Improvement Measure [print this page] The retrofit insulation, not only minimizes heat loss and noise pollution, it also increases the value of your home. These can be installed easily with ease and one can even get rebate on the overall project costs through various government sponsored programs, such as the Home Star or Cash for Caulkers program. Moreover, since these prevent heat loss it keeps the house warm during winters and cool during summers, hence it helps in turning down the heating and cooling devices by few degrees. As a result, you save substantially on the electricity bill and can recover the cost of installation in few years.
Depending upon the area to be insulated and amount of insulation required, you may use a combination of insulation products. The types of insulation available in the market includes loose-fill, blanket (batts and rolls), rigid fibrous, spray-on and rigid barrier, among many others. You may use different insulation materials, such as fiberglass, cellulose, mineral wool and foam, which have different R-values.
For areas that are hard to reach, loose-fill fiberglass insulation is generally used. A substantial amount of heat is lost through the windows; you can easily overcome this loss by replacing the old aluminum or wood windows with Vinyl Windows, a better insulating agent. Similarly, you may take other steps to properly insulate your house, such as duct insulation, attic insulation and especially, insulation of unconditioned areas. Proper attic and outer wall insulation can actually save around 30% on your energy bill.
Hence, Retrofit Insulation is probably the best home improvement measure that you can take which not only saves energy, makes house comfortable, offers Acoustical Insulation,but also saves money and increases the value of your home.
