Canadians have a saying that if you’re cold, wear a sweater. It’s a simple solution to living in a colder climate, but what if your home is cold? In that case, that ‘sweater’ may mean more insulation. In this new era of home improvements and ‘staycations’, creating a comfortable and cozy home is atop every homeowner's list, while improving your home’s energy efficiency is the bonus we all want.
For over 46 years, family-owned and operated Reitzel Insulation has been providing quality spray foam and blown-in insulation as well as insulation removal and fireproofing services across Southwestern Ontario. With that level of experience, we’ve seen all the problems where insulation has become ineffective or hasn’t been installed at all, causing uncomfortable or even dangerous consequences on indoor air quality and temperature regulation. If those concerns remind you of your property, here are 5 signs that insulation should be either installed or replaced:
- Changing indoor temperatures is often due to insulation that has shifted in the attic areas and allows cold air or heat into the home.
- High energy bills - are a symptom of poor attic or crawl space insulation.
- Animal infestation - squirrels, rats, mice, snakes, opossums, and bats can all make your home theirs, nesting in insulation and dropping feces everywhere - it is important to inspect your insulation for traces of these little rascals.
- Wet insulation – must be replaced immediately. Blocked vents, a leaky roof, a basement flood, or the absence of vapour barriers can cause crawl space or attic insulation to get wet, and mold to grow, and the insulation to become ineffective.
- Indoor drafts - poor insulation and insufficient or missing insulation can allow drafts to enter the home. Drafts are a good indication of your crawl space or attic insulation.
REPLACE YOUR INSULATION TO SAVE MONEY
According to Energy Star, proper insulation and weather stripping can reduce your monthly heating and cooling costs by up to 20 percent and your annual energy bill by up to 10 percent, adding that adequate insulation is one of the most cost-saving home projects a homeowner can undertake.
To determine your insulation needs, check your attic, walls, and floors adjacent to an unheated space, like a garage or basement. The structural elements are usually exposed in these areas, which makes it easy to see what type of insulation you have and to measure its depth or thickness. To inspect exterior walls, turn off the power, and use an electrical outlet, remove the outlet cover and shine a flashlight into the crack around the outlet box to see if there is insulation in the wall. Check outlets on all floors and old and new parts of your house. Just because you find insulation in one wall doesn’t mean it’s everywhere in the house. If you live in a newer house, you can probably get this information from the builder. You'll have to inspect the insulation if you live in an older house.
INSULATION REPLACEMENT SERVICES FROM REITZEL INSULATION
If you find problems, need assistance with the inspection, or have questions about insulation services, contact Reitzel Insulation at 226-241-9991. We serve Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Brantford, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton, Brampton, and other areas in the GTA.
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