If you are trying to cut your cooling and heating costs in Austin, TX, home insulation adjustments are a great way to minimize your utility bill. However, many homeowners are afraid that the rate of hiring an expert insulation contractor may outweigh their possible savings, so they are turning to DIY insulation to save money.
Will removing and updating your home insulation save you cash or be a headache at the end of the day? Let us look at the dangers and possible complications of DIY improvement projects like modernizing insulation.
Dangers of Removing Insulation
To get the most out of the updated insulation, it is sometimes necessary to get rid of the old insulation, rather than just laying new material over what is already there. Outmoded insulation may have moisture or mold problems. It can also contain waste from animals, such as rat feces, or contain asbestos contaminants. If you leave this insulation in place, it could expose members of your household to health problems.
You must always remove old insulation and discard it before installing the new product, but dealing with old insulation carries its own health risks. If you are not careful when removing your house’s insulation, you can awaken settled contaminants and reintroduce them into your living space. Expert insulation contractors recognize the best practices for correctly removing and getting rid of insulation from the wall, bottom plate, and attic space to present the least danger to your household.
Spray Foam Insulation Installation
Spray Foam Insulation, or SPF (Spray Polyurethane Foam), provides superior insulation and a tight seal. It is an excellent option for insulating driveways, attics, and anywhere else that air or moisture leaks threaten to hit.
Spray foam comes from various chemicals, and its installation requires protective equipment, training, and a lengthy list of safety verification procedures. The EPA cautions that some producers do not clearly illustrate the health risks of operating with SPF. Do not risk your health to save a little cash on your insulation project.
Advantages of Professional Insulation Replacement and Removal
Insulating a property correctly means ensuring your household’s thermal limits are secure from the outside elements. Even minor gaps and poorly insulated areas that are unnoticeable at the time of the insulation upgrade or replacement process may lead to noteworthy waste of cooling and heating and decreased comfort in your house due to varying temperatures. When we fit our insulation professionally, our technicians seal the attic properly and pay particular attention to the tightness of large chimneys and pipe penetrations, suspended ceilings, and other unnoticeable areas.
Perform a Home Energy Audit
Any insulation modernization project should start with an energy audit by a home performance professional. An energy audit involves inspections and tests with enhanced equipment that gives you an accurate assessment of the amount of energy wasted in your house due to air movement and heat transfer. It also shows where there are specific weak spots in your residence. Without the energy audit, you might replace insulation that does not require replacement, thus spending cash and time on a job that does not reduce energy costs or enhance living comfort.
Improve Your House With Air Sealing
To take full advantage of insulation, the experts must seal the air. Usage of spray insulation to seal any openings, tiny cracks, and air leaks will prevent air from circulating between the outdoors and indoors. Air sealing works in conjunction with insulation, and without it, the value of the new insulation in your home can get seriously compromised. By using information from a household energy audit, our technicians can determine how tight your property is currently and where the holes and cracks are in your building structure.
Contact Us for Your Insulation Upgrade
There are a few things you do not need to risk doing mediocre work on, and insulation is among them. It is worth hiring a trusted firm to perform the upgrade using proper insulation materials as well as safe and correct installation and removal procedures.
Remember that there is no such thing as winter insulation or summer insulation. Indoor and outdoor insulation aids you and your household each month, keeps you comfortable, and reduces energy consumption. With more than 35 years of experience, our technicians at Totally Cool are the professionals you can rely on for your insulation upgrades.
Insulation updates are not jobs that you should perform yourself. Contact Totally Cool in Austin today for quality results. We also offer weatherization, duct cleaning, HVAC installation, environmental assessment services, and much more.
