When you’re in the market for new insulation for your home, there are a number of factors you’ll want to consider, such as the amount of insulation you’ll need for particular parts of your home, any difficulties that might be involved in installation and what the current situation of your home insulation happens to be. But when it comes time to actually purchase installation, you’ll run across a piece of information that may not look too important, but actually makes a huge difference in determining how well the insulation will work for your purposes. That piece of information is the insulation’s R-value.
The R-value is used to measure the amount of thermal resistance supplied by a particular type of insulation. In other words, the R-value is what determines whether a certain type of insulation will work in the conditions in which you require it to function. A general rule of thumb is that you can expect insulation with a higher R-value to provide better insulation than one with a lower R-value. Different types of foam insulation tend to have higher R-values per inch than loose or batt fiberglass and cellulose insulation.
How do you know which R-value is right for you?
There are a number of different factors that will likely contribute to determining what type of insulation you use and what R-value you need. Perhaps the biggest of these is climate. Different areas are classified as being within different climate zones for building purposes. All of Canada falls into climate zones 6, 7 and 8.
What does this mean in terms of R-value recommendations for insulation? Your insulation contractor in West Lorne, ON can explain in greater detail, but you’ll generally want R49 to R60 insulation for an un-insulated attic, R25 to R30 for floors and R5 to R6 for walls. Other factors that will influence your insulation choices include whether you’re building new construction or retrofitting your existing home.
How do you know if you need insulation with a higher R-value?
The effectiveness of your insulation—and whether its R-value is appropriate for your home—will largely be apparent based on your comfort levels, but there are definitely some signs you should look out for if you’re wondering whether you need a higher R-value insulation. For instance, during the winter, cold walls and floors, excessively high heating bills and a great difference in heat levels throughout your home are signs that you may need better insulation. Meanwhile, during the summer, if your home seems to have trouble cooling down—as evidenced by discomfort, high cooling bills or excessive strain on your air conditioning—it’s probably time to start investigating your insulation options.
The team at Chase Insulation would be happy to help you understand R-values and determine what’s right for your home given your climate, the materials from which your house is built and any observations you’ve made about areas in your home that seem to be less appropriately insulated than others. When you need an insulation contractor in West Lorne, ON, be sure you give us a call.