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Insulation brings year round comfort and savings, and we can insulate your home properly and within a reasonable budget. We also insulate new construction, custom homes, additions and remodels, and existing commercial buildings.
Old homes have little or no insulation, and this means that until your home is brought up to todays code, it is most probably too hot in the summer, and too cold in the winter. Uncomfortable and too expensive to heat, but easily fixed with insulation.
You are most likely a homeowner, sitting in a chair, feeling hot or cold, with the current utility bill taking a bite out of your budget, and we can help.
(800) 281-1898
Once a home is insulated, the feeling, the difference it makes is very pleasant and surprising. The temperature is less extreme, the house is more comfortable and the power bills are lower.
For the more technically minded customers, the sections below will briefly cover the key aspects of insulating, and could well be worth spending fifteen minutes looking over.
The cost to insulate is less than you probably expect, and a Federal tax credit is available for an additional 30% of the materials cost (IRS form 5695). And most homes are also somewhat drafty, and can be sealed better, and we offer air sealing service as well.
Insulation codes in the part of the US were virtually non-existent before 1976. All houses built before 1981 were under insulated, and unnecessarily cold in the winter, and hot in the summer. Nowadays, the insulation codes for residential new construction are pretty much the same as 1981, with only slight changes: floor insulation has remained at R-19 since 1981, walls was R-11 since 1976, but slightly changed to R-13 around 1993, and R-30 has been required in attics since 1981, R-19 for a few years before (1976-1980), and was raised to R-38 in the tri-valley area in the early 2000’s. R-13 is the insulation equivalent of 13″ of solid, wood (Douglas fir), R-30 is the insulation equivalent of 30″ of wood, and so on. If your home was built before 1981, and is not fully insulated, give us a call for a free estimate.
For existing homes, the material mostly used is blown in cellulose insulation, which has a higher insulation value, or R-value, per inch of thickness then it’s main competitor, fiberglass insulation. An R-30 cellulose is 8.1″ thick, while R-30 fiberglass batts are 10″ thick and fiberglass blown-in R-30 is 11″ to 13″ thick, depending on the manufacturer. Fiberglass is in the ballpark with regards to thickness, but as you can see, cellulose is a little bit better, in that the thickness is less but provides the same R-value. Fiberglass is about half the weight as cellulose, but that is pretty much a non-factor, if anything, because insulation of any kind is fairly lightweight. And cellulose is better in several other ways. It is a closed cell material and therefore can seal from air leakage better than fiberglass, which is open cell. It is better at reducing outside noise. It is very good at reducing or eliminating mold and mildew. It repels most pests, while fiberglass does not. It is made from recycled paper, so a “green” product. And the cost of cellulose is slightly less. These properties make cellulose the best insulation material available for your home, and for existing homes, cellulose is the most widely used insulating material in the US.
To be fair to fiberglass, it is partially made from recycled glass bottles, so it is also a “green” product. It can be used to deaden noise, but not quite as effectively. And, again, it’s R-value approaches cellulose, so comparable thermal performance there, which is the primary factor in an insulating material. Fiberglass blanket or batt insulation actually is a relatively good product and has some applications where it is a more economical and practical choice, such as in walls before the sheetrock goes up on new construction, inbetwwen floors and vaulted ceilings of new construction, and under floors, all of which the cellulose cannot be used so easily, and the other practical benefits of cellulose don’t matter much. And doubtless it repels mold and mildew similarly to cellulose.
But, an attic insulated with fiberglass will last for the life of the home, in perhaps 50% of the homes it is used in, –the 50% that never become infested with rodents–. So for attics, fiberglass blanket and blown in insulation both should not even be permitted, because of rodents, yet, it is still the most common material used for insulating attics of newly constructed homes in the USA.
We’ve been working a long time at this now, so that now removing the insulation from attics, due to rodents 95+% of the time, has become an industry, and every large city has companies specializing in this work, vacuuming out attics of their insulation, using large gas powered vacuum machines. This is a sad thing, and add to this, these companies almost always reinsulate the attics with … fiberglass batts . Probably because rodent removal workers aren’t trained insulation workers on a blow truck, but they can put in the batts, just like a homeowner can.) Some rodent prevention work is also usually done, warranted for a few years, but, roofs are replaced, spots missed, warranties expire, and you are in the same place at a latter time, but poorer one job already, but welcome back a second time.
It may seem only common sense to insulate your home using an insulation company with trained insulation installers using insulation machinery and equipment, and installing the best insulation, but there actually are companies such as the rodent abatement companies, and others such as radiant barrier companies, who advertise insulation as part of their services, but only install fiberglass batts and only insulate attics, who will argue to the skies why their service is much better. Don’t listen.
Listen to common sense and people who know. Utility companies, like homeowners, are on the same side in that they want the work they do to save energy, and the greatest saver of all is insulation. And, they don’t not use fiberglass blown in or batts in their different programs, nor use radiant barrier. They use cellulose insulation for attic and wall insulation.
Air sealing is reducing air movement cycling through the house, entering in the lower half of the house, leaving at the upper half, the ceiling, where it rises and escapes through natural convection (warmer air rises). Starting with sealing any openings on the attic floor (the ceiling) where it is most important, this makes the house more air tight and more energy efficient. Sealing of lower points in the house is less important, but also can be done. A well sealed home uses less energy to stay warm/cool, and so costs less to heat/cool.
Attics typically have many openings in their floor to the house below, and with the help of convection, air leaks into the attic. The builders had to make these openings to fit through wires, pipes, recessed lights, recessed fans, chimneys, knee walls, etc, but, left them that way. (Energy was cheaper then). But, these old openings can be reduced by adding cellulose insulation, or, more thoroughly sealed with foam caulk, rigid foam insulation, plywood, and other materials as needed, followed with the cellulose. The more complicated the house is, the more air sealing work it will likely need, but the more savings it will have. For example, a one story, ranch style home built in the 60s will take less time to air seal and save less energy than a two story split level home with cantilevered windows built in the 1930s.
The higher the insulation’s R-value, or longer it will keep the temperature of a room from changing. The longer the temperature is kept, and the more comfortable you are, and the less the heater and a/c works and the lower your heating and air conditioning bills.
You can actually feel what insulation does by reaching into 8″ of attic insulation on a hot day, and feel the temperature change from the top of the insulation, where it is as hot as the attic, through gradually to the bottom of the insulation, getting cooler as you reach through to the bottom, where it is the same temperature as the ceiling it touches.
That’s is how a thick layer of insulation feels and works. It is just like a sweater or a pot holder, only thicker. Hot or cold, most insulating material works in this way.
Insulation is generally warranted to keep its R-value for the life of the home. The things that cellulose offers in addition to it’s R-Value, the sound deadening, the pest repelling, the closed cell properties, are additional properties that cellulose provides, that are not offered by other types (fiberglass blanket, fiberglass loose fill,) but the R-Value is the dominant factor in insulation, and this is why fiberglass doesn’t fall by the wayside, because it has a similar R-Value, the yardstick of an insulation material, and the blanket feature make it better in some applications. And for building inspectors, R-value is the one property they care about.
The present day code is R-30 for attics, R-13 for walls, and R-19 for floors and overhands, except in the Tri-Valley areas, where the codes require R-38 in the attic. PG&E and some state programs require higher levels of attic insulation, R-44 and R-49, So, everyone basically agrees on the R-value for floor (R-19) and the walls (R-13), but, unfortunately, there is some disagreement with the attics,(R-30 – 49). Add to that, after R-30 there is a diminishing benefit with higher R-values in the attic, and the cost to add more insulation is not terribly high, So you can have an attic insulated with R-49, not pay a lot extra for it, but also won’t notice a big difference at that R-value from an R-30 or 38.
It is the most widely used insulation in the USA for several good reasons, including it’s price, But there are many other reasons it is the preferred insulation material. Cellulose is a closed cell insulation, so it stops air movement, or greatly slows it, compared to fiberglass, which is an open cell insulation, and this adds to its overall effectiveness as an insulating material. Cellulose is a blown-in insulation, meaning that unlike it’s competitor, fiberglass batts or blankets, it covers the attic floor completely, while the fiberglass batts do not, they are made to be installed between the floor joists on the attic, still leaving the tops of the joists uninsulated, and also, do not have perfect contact with any existing insulation that might be there right now, which the cellulose has. The material does not need to be blown in as deeply to achieve the same R-value as blown-in or blanket fiberglass insulation. Fiberglass may appear to be less dusty that cellulose, but it is more annoying dust, both for breathing in and contact with skin, than cellulose, though less visible, so, with either product, an installer wears a dust mask while installing it in the attics, but either is harmless to people in the house below. The labor cost is less, since each piece of blanket insulation has to be installed by hand, while the blown in insulation is more easily blown in. The cellulose contains a boric acid as a fire retardant, but this same chemical also keeps rodents and bugs away. And, finally, the cellulose is advertised by the manufacturer as a sound deadening material.
And the cons? Well, yes, one. sometimes a customer may object to cellulose because of it’s drab light gray color and it’s dustiness, when compared to fiberglass, which is pure white in color, or pink, or yellow, depending on the manufacturer, and also dust, which is less visible but more irritating compared to cellulose dust. Can’t argue with the nice colors fiberglass comes in, but a serious customer will look at all the other properties and choose cellulose.
But, fiberglass blown in insulation is used pretty much exclusively for attics, and mainly by larger insulation companies who mainly use fiberglass batts on new construction, but at times need to use a blown in product, and their supplier prefers they use fiberglass blown in, rather than go to another manufacturer and company to use cellulose.
And, of course, we know about the fiberglass batts or blanket insulation.
Which would you rather have, an insulation that covers the attic floor completely, is less expensive, keeps pests away, stops noise better, stops air infiltration better, and is less thick, or fiberglass, which is slightly nicer in appearance, and keeps your supplier happy or is simple enough for a non-insulator to use? The reasons fiberglass is used for attics are ignorance, keeping your fiberglass suppliers happy, or keeping your workers busy with work they shouldn’t really do.
Cellulose is also the better material because of that dusty, powdery quality. As it is installed in walls, through 1.5″ diameter holes drilled through the wood siding or stucco, it gets around the pipes and wires and fills the wall cavity completely, while fiberglass is mostly a chunkier material that sometimes will leave voids on the other side of the pipes and/or wires.
Floors are third most important to insulate, after the attic and walls, and generally make a noticeable difference in the cold weather only.
If your home was built before 1981, the floors are likely non-insulated. There is a difference in the framing of subfloors that does affect the cost. Houses built before 1950 and after about 1970 are framed usually 16″ or 24″ on-center joists, and are more affordable to insulate, but houses build between 1950 and 1970 are framed mostly 4′ on-center, and those involve more labor, and possibly should be considered as a candidate for spray foam insulation. But overall they make a smaller difference than the walls or attic during the cold weather, and no difference at all during the hot weather,.
So, generally with 4′ on-centers, we recommend focusing on the attic and walls first, and if you still feel afterwards that the floors let in too much cold, (they probably are hardwood floors) then they can be also be done any time. Fiberglass batts are used for floors, as cellulose is not yet available in a solid form as the fiberglass is, but rodents generally leave subfloor insulation alone because of gravity.
On the power bill, the attic accounts for 10% to 30%, the walls 10-20% and the floor 10% to 20% (cold weather only). Attics are usually partially insulated, so if you are having your attic insulation upgraded, the difference will be less, but in most cases, still the most cost-effective thing a person can do to make their home more energy efficient. If you are doing the attic and the walls, the two will be close to each other in cost, but, on rough average, of that difference in savings, the attic will make about 60% of the difference and the walls 40% of the difference.
What if I don’t heat or air condition my home? Well, mostly just a few renters do this to save on their utility bills, but should still try speaking with their landlords about putting insulation in, because the greater year round comfort still applies. And, landlords like tenants who are happy, and an uninsulated home that is also unheated will be much more prone to mold and mildew formation, as well as be very cold in the winter, and very hot in the summer, and tenants would tend to be less happy and less healthy in such a home.
With signs becoming more common of rodent infestation in attics, one may as well understand the nature of the problem. Maybe half of all attics have never had any sign of rodents, and of those that do, the signs, such as droppings, are usually many years old by the time someone notices them, and the rodents long gone. Rodents are seldom much of a problem to the floor or wall insulation of a home, but the attic can be a home for rodents, whether there is no insulation or any amount of insulation if it is fiberglass, or has a thin layer of any insulation that does not cover the studs. It is a fact that very few attics with an R-19 or greater layer of cellulose have been infested with rodents. I know this from many years working in this industry, installing insulation, doing attic insulation removals, talking daily to my foremen, and getting a call every week or two from customers with rodents in their attics and finding out almost every time, the attic was insulated with fiberglass. The one case of rodents living in an attic insulated with 8″ of cellulose that I have seen was a house where the garage was filled with bird seed and open to the attic. Another similar case was when my foreman saw a fiberglass insulated access cover surrounded by cellulose, that the rodents accessed from framing above. Other than these, the rodents have stay away from cellulose in my experience. Just a fact I stumbled on while working in this industry, and which I do not doubt I have benefitted my customers by steering them away from putting fiberglass in their attics.
This means there are still a lot of attics, mainly ones with fiberglass insulation, and those are the ones that call us, about once a week.
So, the question comes up. “What do I do with this dirty mess in my attic?” Unfortunately, the most common solutions are to leave it alone and hope it goes away, or to remove the old insulation, “sanitize” the attic, such as spraying in a 50/50 mixture of ammonia and water, “ratproof the attic,” and then re-insulate the attic with fiberglass batt insulation. This is a very costly solution and yet cheap solution, which is why so many pest companies prefer this option.
First of all, if the presence of rodents is not evident there is no need for removal. For attics where there is a definite presence of rodents and you can smell them, there is a question as to whether the condition is of any effect to the people living in the house or not, and whether around $10,000 to $20,000 is worth the cleanup or not. Some would say it is, others would say they can’t afford it. Seems some guidance is needed here, given the large number of people who have this done, and larger number of people who do not. If I might weigh in on this matter by saying that rodents are addressed in such a way that to see signs that they may have existed is a sure sign to call a rodent company to eradicate them all, but doing this can be a very expensive process. I have not heard of germs of rodents coming down through the sheetrock, many attics have had rodents, but are long gone now, and attics are not a food source so, rodents that go into an attic get their food from elsewhere.
This I can offer: Don’t re-insulate an attic with fiberglass batt insulation, or blown fiberglass as the replacement insulation due to rodents. Doing this just means the company does not have the equipment or training to insulate an attic properly. You would use blown-in cellulose, same as usual. It will repell the rodents from ever coming back, and people who have had rodent problems are very happy with the blown in cellulose for this reason.
The savings for an attic and wall insulation job will be, on average, 20-40% of the gas bill, plus the air sealing, but since there are tiers on the utility bill, and the rates are higher when your use is higher, the actual savings will often be higher, 20% – 50%. Exact savings vary, and depend on what your energy usage is, how well insulated house is now versus after we insulate, and the type of construction. The most important places to insulate are generally in this order, 1) the attic 2) the walls and 3) the floor.
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