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Central Virginia Insulation
When optimum energy efficiency is your goal
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Central Virginia Insulation - An insulation contractor in Richmond Va
Central Va Insulation - The best insulation installer in the Richmond area. No job too big or too small. 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.
Serving the greater Richmond area and Tidewater
The values of adding insulation to your home
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 the 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. 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. 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 what 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 in the Richmond area providing comfort to thousands. For the best insulation installers, look no further than Central Virginia Insulation. For more information, check out types, R-value, air sealing, and DIY. Service areas: Richmond Chesterfield Midlothian Henrico Short Pump Hanover Ashland Charlottesville Tidewater |
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