The Benefits of Insulation Against the Summer Heat
Everyone who’s ever lived in Ohio knows that the summers can be brutally hot. It’s not the average highs so much, but the swelteringly high humidity.
Homeowners and renters alike spend hundreds of dollars per month on cooling their homes. Much of this is being wasted by not having effective insulation in their homes, and not installing radiant barriers and fans in their attics.
Couple this with a smart thermostat, and your home will be well on it’s way towards maximum comfort at minimum expense. You’ll be increasing energy efficiency, saving money, and helping reduce pollution on our planet.
Why is Insulation in the Summer Time Important?
Aside from the overall monthly cooling costs, Mansfield residents have to worry about prolonging the life of their air conditioners. Maintenance and repairs on expensive HVAC systems can put a big dent in your summertime budget. Plus, nobody wants to sit around for hours or days in the middle of the summer, waiting for their central air conditioner to be repaired. Proper insulation and reflective radiant barrier in Mansfield and Central Ohio can add years to the life of a cooling system.
Even renters can’t escape the discomfort of an improperly insulated home in Columbus. Oftentimes, renters don’t want to make major improvements on a property that they don’t own. They feel like any improvements they make are only benefiting their landlords by increasing the property value.
This may be true with some home improvement projects, but by installing radiant barrier and proper insulation in your attic or crawlspace, you will reap the benefits immediately. Not only will you see drastic improvements on your monthly electric bills, the overall feel in the home will be immediately more comfortable.
Most of us know what it feels like to be inside a home that just can’t seem to get cool enough in the summer. The air conditioner seems like it’s constantly running, yet the temperature still hovers in the high 70s. Most of the time, this is because of poor insulation, often in the attic or crawlspace. It’s hard to notice this because it’s an area that’s not often used. And let’s face it; nobody wants to sit in their home in Mansfield in the summer sweating while their air conditioner blows money out of a poorly insulated attic.
How Does Radiant Barrier Work?
Although radiant barrier sounds like some complex and expensive product, how it works is actually quite simple. The Department of Energy has an easy to read and highly detailed page explaining radiant barriers pretty extensively.
But to put it very simply, it’s a reflective system that prevents heat from passing through it. Radiant barriers are very similar to aluminum. It’s the same principal as they use on space shuttles to keep them cool upon reentry to earth. If you’ve ever felt foil when it comes out of the oven it’s not very hot. This is because it doesn’t absorb the heat, it reflects it.
When a radiant barrier is placed in an attic or crawl space ceiling, it has the same effects. While the sun is baking down on the roof all day long, that radiant barrier is preventing much of that heat from passing through into your home. When installed professionally with proper attic insulation, you can expect an attic heat reduction of up to 30°F.
It’s not hard to understand that a cooler attic or crawlspace helps immensely in keeping the rest of your home cooler.
In two story homes, the effects of a poorly insulated attic or crawlspace are very noticeable in the summer. That big temperature change when you walk up the stairs is the biggest indicator. If you want to be more technical, place a thermometer upstairs and another one downstairs and see if they’re different. The differences in temperature will tell you all you need to know.
If your home is insulated properly and you’re using radiant barriers and an attic fan, they should be very close or the same temperature. If there’s a big difference, you’re wasting money on heating and cooling, as well as putting more strain on your system and creating a larger carbon footprint.
Is an Attic Fan Necessary with Radiant Barrier?
Attic fans have long been used for cooling attics for decades, but the science of them has been disputed. Some studies say that they have a significant improvement on cooling costs. Others claim that attic fans don’t make that much difference.
Whether or not you choose to install a solar powered attic fan is something you should discuss with your Mansfield insulation expert. It’s important to address what you hope to gain with the addition of an attic fan.
The biggest issue that we’ve found with our customers in Mansfield, Columbus, and Akron is that expectations can be too high for the attic fans by themselves. This is often the fault of less than honest insulation companies. Just as with a reflective radiant barrier, an attic fan by itself will do little without proper insulation. But if you are creating a solid wall against the summer heat with insulation and radiant barrier underneath your roof, an attic fan can be very effective at removing the super-heated air that rises to the top of your home.
Another consideration is the low cost of installing an attic fan in Mansfield. If it’s done by Prestige, along with insulation and/or radiant barrier, it’s surprisingly affordable. We can install a solar powered attic fan for much less cost than most people would think. In our opinion, an attic fan is a cost effective addition to our insulation installation work.
Installing a Smart Thermostat to Maximize Insulation Benefits
It’s no secret that the digital age has pretty much taken over our lives. Just try leaving your iPhone at home one day and see if it gives you anxiety. But embracing the benefits of how technology can improve our lives can really save you money, and help the environment.
Smart thermostats are one of the most effective ways to use technology to improve the cost of keeping our homes the perfect temperature. Installing a smart thermostat gives Mansfield residents the ability to control the climate of their home from any smartphone, computer, or tablet. They allow them to set schedules for when everyone is away. Many smart thermostats even learn on their own when to raise or lower the temperature based on the proximity of residents’ phones.
The cost benefits of using even a modestly priced smart thermostat are usually noticeable immediately. Even the most advanced smart thermostats pay for themselves in less than two years.
Some brands of smart thermostats even offer reports which allow you to see exactly what your family is saving by using them.
One thing to consider as we look towards uncertain summer months is that families are almost guaranteed to be spending more time at home this year. Installing and utilizing a smart thermostat will make the efficient energy use even more beneficial.