It's about TO GET HOT! Insulate your home

We tend to think of insulation as something we do to keep heat inside our homes, but the fact is, it’s nearly as important to keep “the cool” inside during the summer months. According to www.energy.gov, heat consistently flows from warmer to cooler—however it can manage it: through interior ceilings, walls and floors—wherever there is a difference in temperature. So, in summer’s soaring heat while your air conditioner is cranking away, the warmer outside air is like a persistent intruder, constantly looking for ways to break into your house.

As we transition from winter into spring, now would be a perfect time to look at ways to keep the refreshing cool air from escaping your home, replaced by the baking temperatures of summer.

Caulking and weatherstripping are two easy and effective air-sealing techniques. Caulking fills cracks and openings around stationary elements such as window frames, while weatherstripping addresses and seals components that move, such as doors and operable windows.

Your home probably already has double-pane windows, but if not, this would be an excellent time to install the low-emissivity types. Window-tinting, particularly on west- and south-facing panes can also assist in both keeping warm air outside in the summer and cold air outside in the winter.

An equally effective means of insulating your home is to plant shrubbery or trees in front of those same west- and south-facing windows. Of course, the challenge there is that it will take a few years for these to grow tall enough to do the job; but when they are fully matured, greenery provides not only efficient protection against heat- and coolant-loss, it lends beauty to your home, as well. So even while you employ other, more immediate means of keeping your house’s temperature moderated, consider these longer-term gardening measures, as well.

Perhaps the biggest culprit when it comes to energy-loss (warm or cold) is your attic. Attics can be black holes, sucking up heat in the winter months, and hoarding cooler air in warmer ones. The reasons for this can be numerous—the space is unfinished, there are gaps around pipes, flues, exhaust fans, recessed lighting, or, over time, there’s been damage to your roof. The best way of determining how to fix this particular problem is to conduct an energy-audit.

That’s a project that will likely have to be postponed in this current climate of social distancing. However, the other measures can easily be accomplished right now. You probably have the extra time on hand to undertake projects such as new window installation, caulking, weatherstripping and tree-planting.

If you need help, give us a call! 832-314-3644