When it comes to making your home as energy-efficient as possible, one factor you don’t want to forget about is your home’s insulation. Insulation prevents outside air from coming into your home, which helps to keep your HVAC system from working as hard to maintain temperatures. It’s not just your attics and walls that need insulation—crawl space insulation is just as important. Below are five signs that let you know when it’s time to replace insulation in your home.
Animal Infestation
Once pests take up residence in your attic or crawlspace, it’s hard to remove them. Not only do they leave feces and urine in the insulation, but they also use insulation to make their nests for their beds and for raising their offspring. If you’ve recently had to call pest control to get rid of rodents or other animals moving into your home, it’s a good idea to call an insulation company too. They can assess your home and let you know how much, if any, insulation will need to be replaced.
Higher Energy Bills
The most significant sign that you need to add or replace your insulation is that you have higher energy bills. If your power company hasn’t raised their rates and you’re not using more energy than usual, your power bills should remain fairly consistent. If you notice them rising quickly, call an electrician to help you figure out the source of the problem.
Outdated Materials
Older insulation, especially crawl space insulation, breaks down and loses thickness. However, that’s not the only problem that you face with insulation. Building codes change over time, which means that the thickness of the insulation your home has may no longer be in accordance with recent building code changes.
Unpleasant Odors
If your home has a lingering unpleasant odor that doesn’t seem to have a source, the problem might be with your insulation. Not every type of insulation is waterproof, and fiberglass insulation absorbs water. As for your crawl space insulation, melted snow and humidity impact your insulation leading to mold and mildew growth.
Water Damage
If you notice puddles on your floor or wet spots on your ceiling, these are a couple of signs that you have a leak. Not only do leaks lead to water damage that causes the wood structure of your home to rot, but water damages your insulation as well. Additionally, insufficient and ineffective insulation indirectly causes water damage. One example would be if your pipes aren’t adequately insulated and burst during the middle of winter.
Unless the insulation in your home becomes damaged, it should last anywhere between 80 and 100 years. Even if you believe that you don’t have a problem with your insulation, a home energy assessment is a great way to find areas of improvement. Contact your local insulation company today and prepare to be surprised at how much money you save when your home becomes as energy-efficient as possible.
