We are all home more than ever now. And that may be our new life for a while. Some companies are going completely WFH (work from home – we thought it was time for yet another acronym). And whether your kid’s school is going in-person, virtual, or a hybrid of the two, in the tri-state area, not many seem to be offering a full-time in-school option.
We don’t know about you, but our electric bills have made all of this time at home abundantly clear in the form of dollars and cents. Is there anything you can do about that besides turning off the hot water, so the kids don’t take an hour-long shower or turning up the temperature on the air conditioner? We think there is.
Your attic and the insulation in it can be affecting your energy bill in a negative way. The EPA estimates the average homeowner can save 15% on heating and cooling costs (11% of total energy costs) by adding insulation to their attics, crawl spaces, and basement rim joists. For most folks, that’s about $200 in savings per year. In colder parts of the country, savings increase up to 20%. Tough to argue with the EPA on a good day. Right now? They seem to know what’s what. So, what should you look for in your attic when it comes to the right insulation? Two main things you should ask are:
Does the temperature vary from room to room? Some rooms colder or hotter than others? If you have window air conditioners, that’s normal. But during the winter, if some rooms are colder than others, your insulation could be to blame. Drafts, too, can be a sign that your insulation has settled to the point of leaving gaps that gusts of wind will find and slide into your home. Now you are paying to heat the outside air temperature instead of the inside. You remember Dad saying, “Close that door! We aren’t paying to heat the neighborhood!” Turns out he was right.
Are your power bills extremely high when heating or cooling your home? Seems like it’s just the cost of owning a home, but it really doesn’t have to be. Having the correct insulation can help keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer by insulating it from the outside elements. It can even make your home quieter! More quiet, less cost – we all want both of those things.
So, if you have insulation issues, what do you do? Well, you’ll want to choose the right replacement insulation. And if you think it’s too expensive, think again! For most homeowners, upgrading an under-insulated home is well worth the expense. It’s an improvement that will pay off in both reduced energy bills and improved home value. But choose your replacement insulation wisely. You will want an insulation that is:
- Safe around kids and pets
- Good for repelling and eliminating pests
- Fire retardant
- Environmentally sustainable
- Easily installed in new construction or existing homes
- A higher R-value – which means heat transfers through the insulation slower
You will not want insulation that will:
- Settle leaving gaps that create drafts
- Not be resistant to mold and mildew
- Be attractive to pests
Here’s the great news. Western Pest Services has insulation that checks all the boxes in the “want list” and none of the ones in the “don’t want list.” Western ThermoZone® Attic Insulation can do it all. Including doing double duty as a pest repellent. The all-natural borates in ThermoZone® insulation actually repel and eliminate several household pests including cockroaches, silverfish, and ants. Can your insulation do that? Ours can.
Replacing your insulation with ThermoZone® insulation can not only make your home quieter, it can save you money on your energy bill while repelling pests. That’s the good news you could use right now. We can’t help with the kids eating everything you bought on Friday by Sunday, but we can help with keeping your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. With winter on the way, now’s the time to give Western a call for a free estimate. Now that’s dollars and sense.