Ways To Save Energy Costs on Your Home
We’ve reached September and the last few weeks of summer. While many people are trying to squeeze in one last weekend getaway or their final outdoor activities, now is the time to prepare for the cold weather that’s coming. A good place to start is by making sure your home has proper insulation. According to the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, 90 percent of U.S. homes are under-insulated. That means that the overwhelming majority of Americans are wasting energy and wasting money. Good Guys Contracting wants to give you some cost-saving tips about insulation so you can save cash and have an energy-efficient home. We also want to let you know why Tripolymer Injection Foam, carried by Good Guys, is the perfect choice for your family.
How Insulation Works
Insulation prevents heat from escaping from your home. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are three ways that heat flows. Conduction is how heat moves through a material, like soup making a spoon feel hot. Convection is how heat passes through liquid and gasses – causing warm air to rise and cooler air to sink. Radiant heat travels in a straight line and heats anything solid in its path.
Most common insulation works by slowing conduction and sometimes reflective heat flow, according to the Energy Department. Heat flows from warmer air to cooler air until there’s no temperature difference. So it will move through unheated parts of your home like attics and basements, passing through ceilings, walls, and floors. Insulating these areas will decrease this flow of heat, working with your heating system to maintain a comfortable home and reducing energy bills during winter months.
The Importance of R-Value
When choosing insulation, you’re going to hear a lot about R-value. This is a measure of an insulating material’s resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the more resistant the product will be to heat flow. The actual R-value of a wall or ceiling will differ a bit from the insulation product’s R-value because of the insulating properties of some building materials.
State building codes require certain R-values for wood-framed homes based on the climate of the area. In New York, Nassau and Suffolk County are in Zone 4. Different components of a structure have different R-values under the code. For example, Ceilings will have a minimum R-value of 38, while the minimum R-value of floors will be 19.
Tripolymer Insulation From Good Guys Is Energy Efficient
It should be noted that the weather on Long Island fluctuates and we’re not too far away from homes that are in the chillier climates of Zone 5 and even Zone 6. Because of this, you want an insulation product that will protect you from anything. Good Guys Contracting has it with Tripolymer foam insulation.
Tripolymer is a high-density foam that can be installed in any room of the house. It can be put in over old insulation to supplement it. It doesn’t require extensive installation because the foam will expand and fill gaps in walls. Tripolymer is one of the longest lasting foams on the market, so your energy efficiency will be stable over time. This is one of the most effective insulations on the market with an R-value of 5.1 per inch. It’s also eco-friendly because it’s 100 percent biodegradable.
Good Guys Contracting is proud to be a Tripolymer dealer and because proper installation of insulation is critical for energy efficiency and cost savings, you want expert installers. Contact Good Guys today for a free estimate.
