Why Insulate Your House?

Heating and cooling account for 50% to 70% of the energy used in the average North American home. Inadequate insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in most homes. The biggest reason why you should insulate your home is because insulation saves you money and our nation's limited energy resources. Without insulation your home would simply be unliveable. Insulation makes your house more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the house, and makes walls, ceilings, and floors warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

The amount of energy you conserve will depend on several factors: your local climate; the size, shape, and construction of your house; the living habits of your family; the type and efficiency of the heating and cooling systems; and the fuel you use. Once the energy savings have paid for the installation cost, energy conserved is money saved - and saving energy will be even more important as utility rates go up.


How Insulation Works

Heat flows naturally from a warmer to a cooler space. In winter, the heat moves directly from all heated living spaces to the outdoors and to adjacent unheated attics, garages, and basements - wherever there is a difference in temperature. During the summer, heat moves from outdoors to the house interior. To maintain comfort, the heat lost in winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gained in summer must be removed by your air conditioner. Insulating ceilings, walls and floors decreases the heating or cooling needed by providing an effective resistance to the flow of heat.


Batts, blankets, loose fill, and low-density foams all work by limiting air movement. (These products may be more familiarly called fibreglass, cellulose, polyicynene, and expanded polystyrene.) The still air is an effective insulator because it eliminates convection and has low conduction. Some foams, such as polyisocyanurate, polyurethane, and extruded polystyrene, are filled with special gases that provide additional resistance to heat flow.

Terry Laurin
www.tlces.com
250-215-8020
“Helping you become Energy Efficient”