A casual Google search for ideas on how to make your home more energy efficient will inevitably have you considering adding more insulation. We would caution you to be very careful with that idea because it is not as straight forward as it seems.
The general concept of home heating and cooling mentioned in various areas of the internet is that usually, more insulation is better. The answer to this, like most things in life, is it depends, and in many cases, adding insulation may not be the overall solution, but it might be a part of the overall solution.
Picture this, in the winter, your home is freezing, and you think, “Gee, if only I had more insulation to keep the heat in, I’d be much warmer!”. Or in the Summer, you could think, “Gee, if only I had more insulation to keep the air conditioning in, it would be much cooler!”. This common sense thinking is mostly true, however, a very important question should be asked.
Does your home already have insulation? This is a crucial question to find the answer to and here’s why – it’s often forgotten that homes need to breathe. Throughout your home, there are essential air gaps built in. Homes are not made to be airtight boxes (and nor should you want them to be). Most of these gaps are found in your walls and in and around your roof system. These systems tend to consist of air barriers, channels, soffits, and attic vents. These vents allow warm air to escape through the top of your home and fresh air to enter. This constant exchange of air is vital for the home to maintain an ideal indoor air quality balance.
If you or your contractor adds too much insulation, which often happens when homeowners want to add insulation to a home that likely already has some (most homes built after the 1980’s), important air gaps could easily be permanently blocked. This tends to happen because the only straightforward way to add insulation to the walls and attic of a home would be with “blown-in” insulation (i.e. cellulose, fiberglass, etc.), and in some cases, foam. The problem tends to be that contractors might overfill wall cavities and/or the attic, blocking essential vents.
Exploring the avenue of adding insulation is a reasonable one; however, it’s important to work with PROs that understand how to maintain or enhance a home’s breathing nature, while knowing how not to over-insulate a house.
When considering adding insulation, it’s wise to speak with a few PROs to get a variety of ideas as they regularly work with these products. You can find high quality PROs on HutSolver. Simply take a picture of your project, post it, and start getting feedback and meeting high quality PROs.
Sign up to HutSolver – it’s free to join and use! We believe you’ll solve many of your home projects with creative ideas and knowledgeable Home Improvement PROs.
About HutSolver
HutSolver is a marketplace for home projects where homeowners share their projects (create project posts), receive creative feedback and build relationships with qualified home improvement professionals (PROs). Post, Hire, and Manage your project all on HutSolver.
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