Insulation: Key to Keeping Your Home Warm This Winter
Looking at your winter utility bills, you might find that up to 70 percent of your home’s energy costs come from heating. Keeping your home warm in winter is cheaper when you have proper levels of insulation.
Assessing Your Current Situation
Check your home’s insulation levels. In the attic, test the level of your current insulating materials. If you have batts of fiberglass, you can read the R-value on the batt’s paper face. If you have loose fill material like cellulose, take a measuring tape and measure how deep the insulating material sits. The approximate R-values by depth are:
- 5 inches = R-15
- 7 inches = R-21
- 13 inches = R-38
- 18 inches = R-49
To check the insulating materials in the wall, turn off the power to an exterior wall outlet and remove the cover. Look around the edges of the outlet to see if the wall has any insulation, what kind it is, and potentially how deep it is. Look at all exterior walls this way. To evaluate the basement or crawl space, you need to get under the floor joists. These areas are most often covered with fiberglass batting. Check the paper face of the batt for the R-value.
What Are the R-value Recommendations?
R-value measures how resistant a material is to heat transfer. The higher the number, the better the insulating material is.
The 2009 International Energy Conservation Code recommends these R-values for Delaware, southern New Jersey, most of Maryland and the Philadelphia area.
- Attic – R-38
- Wood-frame walls – R-13
- Floor – R-19
Is There an Easier Way?
The easiest way to check your insulation needs is to have a home evaluation done by a professional. They can do a complete energy check of your home. You get recommendations on improving your current insulation levels and ways to make your home more energy efficient year round.
Set an appointment for a home energy evaluation today with Sobieski Services. Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC and plumbing systems).
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