Insulation is an important factor in home comfort.  If your home isn’t as comfortable as it should be, your insulation could be partially responsible.   If you are having issues such as rooms that aren’t comfortable– cold in winter or too hot in summer, for instance– you should consider looking into your insulation.

What role does insulation play in your home?  Primarily, insulation provides resistance to heat flow.  In other words, it keeps heat from moving in and out of the home.  The more heat flow resistance your insulation provides, the more comfortable you feel (and the lower your heating and cooling costs).

Heat flows naturally from a warmer to a cooler space.  In the winter, this heat flow moves directly from all heated living spaces to unheated attics, garages, basements, and even to the outdoors.  Heat flow can also move indirectly through interior ceilings, walls, and floors—wherever there’s a difference in temperature.  During the cooling season, heat flows from the outdoors to the cooler interior of a house.

To maintain comfort, the heat lost in the winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gained in the summer must be removed by your cooling system.  Properly insulating your home will decrease this heat flow by providing an effective resistance to the flow of heat.  This resistance naturally helps keep your heating and cooling system from having to work too hard, and burn more fuel, to keep your indoor air at the proper temperature.

R-Values
Insulation’s resistance to heat flow is measured or rated in terms of its thermal resistance or R-value.  An R-value indicates the insulation’s resistance to heat flow.  A higher R-value means greater insulating effectiveness.

The R-value depends on the type of insulation, and includes its material, thickness, and density.  When calculating the R-value of a multilayered installation, add the R-values of the individual layers.  Installing more insulation in your home increases the R-value and thus the resistance to heat flow.

The effectiveness of insulation’s resistance to heat flow also depends on how and where the insulation is installed.  For example, insulation that is compressed (an improper installation) will not provide its full rated R-value.  Also, the overall R-value of a wall or ceiling will be somewhat different from the R-value of the insulation itself because some heat flows around the insulation through the studs and joists.  Therefore, it’s important to properly install your insulation to achieve the maximum R-value.

The amount of insulation or R-value you’ll need depends on climate, type of heating and cooling system, and the section of the house you plan to insulate.  Ask us about the importance of insulation in your home.  We can evaluate your existing insulation and determine if you need to make any improvements for better home comfort.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about insulating your home and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning services  San Antonio and the surrounding communities of Seguin, New Braunfels, Bulverde, Boerne, and Comal County. To get started, check out our website or see our current promotions.