Home Insulation: Save money and environment

Just about half of your electricity bill goes to regulating the temperature of your home. Thus if you want to save on your electric bills, the best place to start is your home’s insulation system. Insulation is the one of the best ways to save money on air conditioning and heating. Considering the ever increasing costs of electricity, it’s worth spending a little on insulation to keep that cost low. 

By getting home insulation, you’ll be able prevent heat loss and conserve energy. With the Australian government insulation rebate of $1,200 you will not breaking your bank. The assistance is available to eligible owner-occupiers, landlords and tenants.  For smaller homes the government insulation rebate pays for the insulation so it is often free.

Green Insulation Tips for a More Comfortable and Energy-Efficient Home First and foremost, homeowners install insulation to reduce energy consumption and increase energy savings. If you’re looking to install or upgrade insulation, you’re on the right track. Here are a few suggestions on what you can do to maximize your benefits.

 Good Insulation = Comfort—Don’t let dreams of huge energy savings cloud the fact that a well-insulated home is a more comfortable home. By eliminating sources of heat loss, heat gain, and drafts, a high quality insulation job will make for a warmer home in the winter, a cooler home in the summer, and more consistent, even temperatures year round.

Soundproofing—Soundproofing is a nice side benefit of insulating your home. In fact, a good test of whether your home needs an upgrade in the insulation department is to sit in your living room with the windows closed and listen for the neighbors. If you can hear them loud and clear, your insulation probably isn’t up to par. SIPs, spray foams, and cellulose insulation provide better soundproofing.

The Higher the R-value, the Better—First and foremost, you need to know that the higher the R-value of the insulation you install, the better the energy efficiency. You can maximize energy efficiency by installing products that naturally have a higher R-value than others, such as cellulose insulation; and you can improve R-value by installing thicker layers of insulation wherever possible.

Avoid Fiberglass Insulation—In addition to releasing glass fibers into the air that can cause skin irritation, respiratory problems, and in cases of long term exposure, cancer, most fiberglass insulation also contains a urea-formaldehyde binder (believed to be hazardous to your health) to reduce airborne fibers and retain the insulation’s shape and thickness.

Install Cellulose Insulation— Cellulose insulation is made from recycled newspaper with borate added as a fire and pest retardant. It has a high insulation value, is made from 85 percent recycled materials (mostly newspaper), and it requires far less energy to produce than most other insulation options. agricultural spray foam insulation