5 Tips for Winter Insulation
Preparing for Winter
As the summer winds to a close, you may be thinking ahead to autumn and all the wonderful things it brings: Thanksgiving, autumn colors, pumpkins… But at EcoStar Insulation, we’re already thinking ahead to the coming winter season, and we’re sharing with you our top home insulation tips for winter so that you can prepare your home before the cold weather hits. If you experience temperature changes from room to room or have mysterious drafts and huge energy bills, you may have a poorly insulated home.
Winter Insulation Tip 1
Starting at the top of your home, the first of our home insulation tips for winter is to insulate your attic. The largest proportion of heat transfer happens through your ceiling and roof, making it a key area to insulate in your home. At EcoStar Insulation the two products we specialize in, spray foam and blown in insulation, are ideal for attic spaces. Unlike fiberglass insulation, spray foam insulation doesn’t need topping up or refreshing after a few years, and its high R-Value makes it ideal for this often forgotten part of your home. R-Value is the industry term used to classify how well an insulation material transfers heat - the higher the number, the better it will be at keeping heat in and cold air out. Spray foam insulation has one of the highest R-Values out of any material on the market today, making it an excellent material to choose when insulating your attic.
Winter Insulation Tip 2
The second of our home insulation tips for winter is to seal air leaks and gaps. Cracks in your home’s building envelope are one of the biggest causes of inefficiency and high heating bills in homes. One of the top benefits of installing spray foam insulation is that it is an excellent sealant and fills those gaps as it cures.
Winter Insulation Tip 3
One of our other top home insulation tips for winter is to check your windows. Poorly installed or old windows could be a major cause of heat loss from your home, so applying new weatherstripping or sealing cracks with caulking can make a big difference. If you’re installing new windows, consider installing energy efficient ones for an added boost to your home’s warmth, and don’t forget to have the walls around them adequately insulated to ensure that you’re not adding new air leaks or gaps to your home!
Winter Insulation Tip 4
Tip four is to perform annual furnace and HVAC system maintenance. Cleaning or replacing filters can have a huge effect on the quality and amount of warm air your furnace produces, and years of inefficient operation can have a huge toll on your furnace, causing it to require more frequent maintenance.
Winter Insulation Tip 5
The last of our home insulation tips for winter is to not forget insulation in other parts of your home. While the basement or attic may be the obvious choice, under the floors, interior walls, and around ductwork or even behind light switches or outlets can also have a big cumulative effect on the comfort of your home.
Thinking ahead to the winter season now can have a huge effect later when the snow begins blowing, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at EcoStar Insulation for an assessment or consultation on improving your home’s insulation at 1-866-789-1536 or at 647-799-3106 or visit our company website at www.ecostarinsulation.ca
