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Central Virginia Insulation
When optimum energy efficiency is your goal
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Insulation - Richmond Va
Central Virginia Insulation is a group of experts from the industry with decades of experience working with all kinds of homes. Our Richmond Virginia based operation covers all facets of insulation work from attics to walls to crawl spaces and basements. Call us at 804-413-6460 for a free quote. We are a locally owned company, not a franchise, and take great pride in our work.
We are also good communicators. Our goal is to return every call within 24 hours. We would be happy to provide a free quote on your project. Please call the number above or fill out the form below and we will get with you promptly.
We are also good communicators. Our goal is to return every call within 24 hours. We would be happy to provide a free quote on your project. Please call the number above or fill out the form below and we will get with you promptly.
Richmond Va's Best Insulation Contractor
Attic, Crawl Space, and Blown in Insulation in Richmond, Va
Benefits of Adding Insulation and What You Must Know Before Starting
Most homeowners, according to the Department of Energy, do not have enough insulation in their homes. This includes both older homes and new construction. Though the newer homes have more insulation than older homes will, there is often still room to add more insulation to help improve the energy-efficiency of the home. Before buying insulation or scheduling an install, read through this information and learn about the different options as well as the benefits of adding insulation to the home. The Richmond area gets weather extremes from very hot to frigid cold. Having the proper insulation can reduce the swings in electric bills you have likely grown accustomed to. Richmond area insulation installation is a competitive business. For this reason you should stick with companies that have been in the business for decades and know firsthand all the ins and outs of this important trade. Your comfort is depending on it. We will look at attic insulation, crawl space insulation, and blown in insulation throughout the site, and will also examine ways you can check your insulation to insure it is adequate as well as discuss energy efficiency in general. Our goal is for the site to be very informative. Insulation and Creating Energy-Efficient Homes Today, there are plenty of different types of insulation, as well as options for upgrading older insulation to meet the new R-value minimums that are recommended. Right now the recommendation from the Department of Energy is that insulation should have a minimum R-value of 3 per inch to be adequate for insulating a home. Homeowners who are building a new home can choose an Earthcraft home to help reduce their energy use or invest in appliances with the Energy Star rating on them to keep energy costs low. Earthcraft helps design energy-efficient buildings that use 30% less energy than comparable homes, while Energy Star helps ensure modern appliances are as efficient as possible. Still, despite the amount of savings companies like these can offer, it may be a good idea to look at the home’s current insulation and determine whether added insulation would be beneficial. Top Benefits of Adding Insulation to a Home Those who live in older homes may open up a wall to find pieces of newspaper, paper bags, and other products inside the wall. Often, this was a way to insulate the wall inexpensively by filling up the empty space. While it may have helped some, it didn’t really help enough. Later, homes were built with insulation inside, though it was still much less than the amount used today. Today’s homes tend to have more insulation, but both older homes and new builds can often benefit from adding more. Some of the benefits homeowners might see will include the following: More Comfortable Home – Homes that are well insulated are better able to regulate the temperature. This means added comfort for those who live in the home. When the temperature is kept consistent, homeowners can be far more comfortable no matter what the weather is like outside, and in the Richmond area it could be miserably hot or frigid cold. Reduced Power Bills – Energy bills can be significant if there’s a lot of variation in the temperature inside the home that can cause the heating and air system to work hard. After installing insulation, homeowners will notice their heating and air system doesn’t need to work as hard to keep the house comfortable, which means their energy bills will be reduced. Noise Reduction from Outside – Insulation isn’t going to stop the noise from outside completely, but it can offer noise dampening. After adding more insulation, homeowners may notice that they don’t hear the sounds of traffic as much in their homes. Reduce the Homeowner’s Carbon Footprint – A person’s carbon footprint is the amount of energy they typically use. One way to lower this is to add insulation to the home, resulting in lowered energy bills. Other ways include choosing paper bags, walking more often, or using solar energy when possible. Help Reduce Heat Transfer – When the temperature inside is different from outside, there’s going to be some heat transfer. During the winter, heat is lost through various areas in the home as it seeps outside. In the summer, the heat can get inside, causing the house to be warmer. Insulation helps protect against this, which enables the home to stay a steadier temperature without the heating and air system having to work as hard. On a slightly unrelated topic, double paned windows, particularly those with argon between the panes, reduce this heat transfer and will reduce your electric bills slightly and make your home more comfortable. Since the interior pane is not directly impacted by the weather, it stays a lot warmer or cooler than the outside pane. Argon is preferable to air because it contains no moisture which can cause windows to fog up. It is typically NOT a good investment to replace windows simply for the energy savings, since the R value of a double paned window is only 2.5 - 3.0, but if your windows are old and you are planning to replace them anyway, getting double paned replacements would be a very good investment. They will not only last for decades, but also increase the appeal of your home to others come sale time. Moisture A good insulation specialist will be aware of air flow and moisture issues in the home. Controlling moisture can make the home much more energy efficient, more comfortable, and control mold issues. Controlling moisture properly will improve the effectiveness of your insulation and air sealing efforts. These efforts incorporate knowledge of your climate and components of your homes construction. |
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Give us a call at 804-413-6460 for a professional quote from the best insulation installers in Richmond Va.
Is Extra Insulation Really Needed?
Though newer homes have more insulation than homes that were built years ago, it may not be sufficient to make the home as energy-efficient as possible unless the home was specifically built for efficiency. In the city of Richmond, some of the Fan homes are 100 years old or more. Fresh insulation will help these homes, though many also have old windows and cracks that will let air in regardless of how much insulation is in the house. It is not unusual for some of those old Fan homes to have 1/8 inch thick window glass. When doing an insulation upgrade, having a look at these other points of failure is a good idea.
Homeowners can check to see if they need more insulation by assessing the thickness of the insulation in the different areas in their homes. Another option homeowners can take advantage of is having a home energy auditor inspect the home to see where improvements can be made. The benefit of this is that they’ll check a lot more than the insulation, giving the homeowner plenty of ways to reduce energy use in the home.
Replace or Add More Insulation?
If there is already insulation in the home, the question comes down to whether what’s there needs to be removed and replaced or if it’s possible to just add onto it. It’s likely going to depend on exactly what is already there and the homeowner’s preferences. For new construction homes, the insulation is made from new materials, so unless there is an issue with mold or other damage to the insulation, it’s going to be a better idea to keep what’s there and add to it.
For an existing structure, it can depend on the age of the home, whether there’s any mold on the insulation, and exactly what product was used for insulation. Very old homes with paper for insulation should have everything replaced. Homes built prior to 1978 may have asbestos in the insulation, so this will need to be removed and replaced. However, homeowners shouldn't try this on their own for safety reasons. Instead, they can have a professional handle the insulation removal. Once it is removed, they can completely replace the insulation with newer materials.
Get the most experienced insulation installation in Richmond, Va. Give us a call at 804-413-6460 for a free quote.
What Areas Should Have Insulation Added?
Homeowners often think of the attic first when they are wondering if their insulation is sufficient. While the attic is a common place to find insulation, and there is often a lot of it there, insulation can also be installed in a basement or crawlspace along with exterior walls. The home may have the same type of insulation throughout, especially if it’s in an older home. However, there could be different types of insulation for each area of the home.
Additionally, all exterior walls including walls between living spaces and unheated garages or storage areas, and any portion of a floor in a room that is cantilevered beyond the exterior wall below should be insulated. Also the band joists should be insulated.
When homeowners are thinking about increasing the insulation for their home, they should check all of these areas, not just the attic, to see what could be improved. Also have a good look at out Types page to get a better idea of the options available. There might be a few you were not aware of. This will also help you understand our rep better when he is discussing options with you.
Homeowners often think of the attic first when they are wondering if their insulation is sufficient. While the attic is a common place to find insulation, and there is often a lot of it there, insulation can also be installed in a basement or crawlspace along with exterior walls. The home may have the same type of insulation throughout, especially if it’s in an older home. However, there could be different types of insulation for each area of the home.
Additionally, all exterior walls including walls between living spaces and unheated garages or storage areas, and any portion of a floor in a room that is cantilevered beyond the exterior wall below should be insulated. Also the band joists should be insulated.
When homeowners are thinking about increasing the insulation for their home, they should check all of these areas, not just the attic, to see what could be improved. Also have a good look at out Types page to get a better idea of the options available. There might be a few you were not aware of. This will also help you understand our rep better when he is discussing options with you.
An easy way to check your insulation
If you want to do a quick check to inspect your own insulation, try this. Turn off the power to an outlet on an outside wall. Then take the outlet cover off and shine a light into the crack next to the outlet cover to see how thick it is. You can even pull out a little piece to see what kind it is. You can do this at different places around the exterior walls of the house to be sure all walls have insulation and what type they have.
Other signs you might have insulation problems are these:
- If you notice some rooms are colder than others and those rooms are well ventilated, the likely culprit is poor wall insulation.
- If you can feel slight chilly drafts in some places, this is a sign air is getting in around windows and doors.
- If the house seems to get a lot of bugs you probably have little holes and cracks around doors where air and small insects can easily get in. This is a common problem that frequently goes unnoticed.
- If you notice water leaks in the attic or walls. Poor insulation lets water in as well as heat out, and of course water can cause mold and all sorts of other problems.
Environmental Impact
Another advantage to replacing your insulation is the positive impact it has on the environment. Here are a couple little-known facts:
- 15% of your carbon footprint consists of your use of coal, gas, and oil
- 12% of your carbon footprint consists of your use of electricity
- 50% to 60% of your home energy use is in the form of heating and cooling
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, if all homes were properly insulated carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be reduced by almost 300 billion pounds in 10 years. By upgrading your own insulation, you are doing your own small part to assisting in this goal.
Increased Comfort
Since not having enough insulation causes your home to be too cold in the winter and too warm in the summer, it makes sense that adding the proper amount of insulation will bring you added comfort in your home during the most extreme seasons. This added comfort comes at a lower cost since the improved efficiency will be reflected in your electric or gas bill, and it lasts for as long as your home does. It only needs to be done once. A more comfortable home for less money is a nice benefit.
Insulation Installers Near Me
If you are looking for an insulation specialist that takes great pride in their work and communicates well, look no further than Central Va Insulation. Our knowledgeable staff can provide you with the best and most efficient options that will insure you get the highest energy savings and comfort in your Richmond area home and also ones that will fit your budget. Insulation installation does not have to break the bank. Frequently customers find this can be done for less than they were expecting, and the benefits are something that can be enjoyed all year.
The Bottom Line
If you are interested in adding more insulation to your home, make sure you have professional assistance so you get as much energy savings as possible from the new insulation. The process is more complicated than it appears and it can be done wrong. Call us today for a quote or to learn more about the benefits of adding insulation to your home. We have decades of experience working with insulation, not only in the Richmond area but also Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, and Petersburg, providing comfort to thousands. For the best insulation installers in Richmond, Central Va Insulation is your top choice.
For more information, check out types, R-value, air sealing, DIY, and Gutter Installation
Service areas:
Richmond
Chesterfield
Midlothian
Henrico
Short Pump
Hanover
Ashland
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Petersburg
Tidewater
If you want to do a quick check to inspect your own insulation, try this. Turn off the power to an outlet on an outside wall. Then take the outlet cover off and shine a light into the crack next to the outlet cover to see how thick it is. You can even pull out a little piece to see what kind it is. You can do this at different places around the exterior walls of the house to be sure all walls have insulation and what type they have.
Other signs you might have insulation problems are these:
- If you notice some rooms are colder than others and those rooms are well ventilated, the likely culprit is poor wall insulation.
- If you can feel slight chilly drafts in some places, this is a sign air is getting in around windows and doors.
- If the house seems to get a lot of bugs you probably have little holes and cracks around doors where air and small insects can easily get in. This is a common problem that frequently goes unnoticed.
- If you notice water leaks in the attic or walls. Poor insulation lets water in as well as heat out, and of course water can cause mold and all sorts of other problems.
Environmental Impact
Another advantage to replacing your insulation is the positive impact it has on the environment. Here are a couple little-known facts:
- 15% of your carbon footprint consists of your use of coal, gas, and oil
- 12% of your carbon footprint consists of your use of electricity
- 50% to 60% of your home energy use is in the form of heating and cooling
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, if all homes were properly insulated carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be reduced by almost 300 billion pounds in 10 years. By upgrading your own insulation, you are doing your own small part to assisting in this goal.
Increased Comfort
Since not having enough insulation causes your home to be too cold in the winter and too warm in the summer, it makes sense that adding the proper amount of insulation will bring you added comfort in your home during the most extreme seasons. This added comfort comes at a lower cost since the improved efficiency will be reflected in your electric or gas bill, and it lasts for as long as your home does. It only needs to be done once. A more comfortable home for less money is a nice benefit.
Insulation Installers Near Me
If you are looking for an insulation specialist that takes great pride in their work and communicates well, look no further than Central Va Insulation. Our knowledgeable staff can provide you with the best and most efficient options that will insure you get the highest energy savings and comfort in your Richmond area home and also ones that will fit your budget. Insulation installation does not have to break the bank. Frequently customers find this can be done for less than they were expecting, and the benefits are something that can be enjoyed all year.
The Bottom Line
If you are interested in adding more insulation to your home, make sure you have professional assistance so you get as much energy savings as possible from the new insulation. The process is more complicated than it appears and it can be done wrong. Call us today for a quote or to learn more about the benefits of adding insulation to your home. We have decades of experience working with insulation, not only in the Richmond area but also Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, and Petersburg, providing comfort to thousands. For the best insulation installers in Richmond, Central Va Insulation is your top choice.
For more information, check out types, R-value, air sealing, DIY, and Gutter Installation
Service areas:
Richmond
Chesterfield
Midlothian
Henrico
Short Pump
Hanover
Ashland
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Petersburg
Tidewater