A Guide to Insulation for Your Montgomery County Home

With so many types of insulation available, it can be hard to decide which will do the best job protecting your home from the Montgomery area’s sometimes inclement weather. This quick insulation guide will help you get oriented in the world of insulating and weatherization products.

Get the Right Material for the Job

A common myth about insulation is that it can be used to stop air infiltration. In fact, insulation can’t do this and it isn’t designed to. Insulation is designed only to slow radiant heat flow, and stop unwanted airflow in your attic, basement and other areas. A basic understanding of the different types of insulation is something else you can learn from a brief insulation guide. Fiberglass, cellulose and mineral wool batts, along with loose-fill cellulose and rigid foam boards are the most common insulation types. Contrary to popular myth, cellulose doesn’t pose a fire hazard, isn’t unusually prone to moisture damage and won’t settle inside walls.

Know How Much You Need

Although you may sometimes see other measurements used to indicate an insulation’s efficiency, R-value is the only federally approved measurement. R-value tells you about the material’s heat-slowing efficiency per inch. The higher the material’s R-value, the thinner the layer you’ll need to install in order to achieve the R-value recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy for that part of your home.

Efficiency isn’t the only factor to consider, though. Different insulation materials have different properties that make them better suited for some uses than others. For example, rigid foam boards are highly efficient and moisture resistant, but they don’t fill in small crevices as well as loose-fill cellulose. If noise reduction is a priority for you, mineral wool may be a better choice.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues – especially HVAC and plumbing issues – so they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.

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