Wall Insulation - All-time Necessity

Insulation keeps homes cool in summer and warm in winter. Like the other parts of your home, it is important to insulate the exterior walls to have a comfortable and energy-efficient home. If you have an older home without any insulation in the exterior walls, you need to add wall insulation.

It is important to install insulation to the exterior walls of the house because of the movement of heat in either summer or winter. In winter, heat moves through exterior walls to the outdoors. In summer, heat moves from the outdoors through the exterior walls to the house interior.

When there is insulation in your exterior walls, the work of your HVAC system will lessen and your home becomes more comfortable. Homes with no insulation on their walls would need to install one to maximize their savings on energy.

Air sealing

Insulation works best when the air around it is not moving. Exterior walls are regularly used and penetrated by electrical wirings and outlets, including gaps in the top, bottom and sides of the walls. This is where the leaks of warm air come inside or out of the house.

Aside from increasing heating and cooling costs, these air leaks can introduce water vapor into the walls, with potential of condensation and damage. Blown-in and batt insulation cannot stop air leakage.

Air leaks will then have to be sealed with caulk or foam before you can install insulation. If the penetrations and gaps are not accessible for air sealing, you need to install dense pack insulation (cellulose or fiberglass) or you will need blown-in foam insulation to achieve the level of air sealing needed.

Insulation levels

The insulation levels are specified b y R-values that measure the insulation’s ability to resist heat flow. With higher T-value, the better is the thermal performance of the insulation used.

The amount of wall insulation you need to add depends on the size of your walls (usually 2” X 4”) and the type of insulation that you and your contractor have decided to install. In general, exterior wall should be insulated to at least R-13.

The house

Most of the homes built before 1972 usually have no insulation in the walls. Homeowners then would not know that their homes have empty walls. In winter time, insulated walls will serve to hold the heat in and prevent warmth from escaping.

After insulation, the walls will not feel ice-cold and there is significantly less condensation and mold to form. Insulation makes a big difference in the comfort level inside the home.

On the other end, during summer, insulation will reduce the amount of heat coming in through the walls and help contain the cool atmosphere inside the house. The sun tends to bake the south and west –facing walls of the house. These heated walls tend to radiate heat even after the sun is out. Insulated, the heat entering the house is reduced.

Wall insulation is important if you want you and your family is comfortable inside your house at any time of the year, because it seals off both heat and cold.