One of the pre-requisites to installing home insulation is to determine how much you already have. You may have a problem with your heating or cooling system and no amount of home insulation will improve the efficiency of a failing furnace or air conditioning system. The best places to check and get an indication of how much house insulation you have are the basement, attic and garage. In these areas the bare bones of your building can be seen and you can visually inspect the types of home insulation that you have and the depth, quantity and quality of it.
The location of your house and the climatic zone that you live in are important factors for determining the quantity and type of insulation that you need. There are often local regulations and recommendations to give guidance and the U.S. Department of Energy and the International Energy Conservation Code give recommended levels and types of home insulation depending on where you are located and the exterior conditions.
Once you have read up all of the information on the best insulation for homes you can select suitable insulation. Attention must be turned to the R-value of the different types of home insulation available. The R-value is a measure of the amount of resistance that an insulating substance gives to heat flow. Basically, the higher the R-value of the home insulation the better its insulating properties. As well as the R-value of the insulating material other factors need to be considered. Some house insulation material settle over time and their effectiveness decreases. Fiber glass is the obvious candidate for this sort of problem and it may necessitate the addition of extra layers at some point in the future. This problem can be avoided using rigid board insulation. It may cost more to start off with but there will be cost savings in the long run as the job only has to be done once.
For the environmentally conscious amongst us it pays to be aware that some types of home insulation now make use of recycled materials such as old newspapers. There are some drawbacks, however. If there is any suggestion of moisture in the area to be insulated these types of home insulation should not be used. Paper absorbs moisture and the R-value of the insulating material gets lower as the amount of moisture in it increases. In a moisture rich environment spray foam or rigid board insulation should be used. These types of home insulation are moisture and mold resistant and should last for many years without giving any trouble.
There are a wide variety of materials available to insulate you home. Many companies specialise in providing a full house insulation survey and can advise on regulations and the best insulation for homes in your area. With a little research, however, any homeowner can improve the insulating properties of their home and with that comes the benefit of lower fuel bills and a warm feeling that you've helped the environment as well as yourself.
How much home insulation a house needs depends on where the house is located and the climate zone