Insulation is a great way to help keep your home cool. However, this gets a bit complicated when you consider that each part of your home has its own insulation requirements and 

Why you Should Care About Roof Insulation

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says that insulating your roof and attic is very important. They offer you the best return on investment. This is because heat rises and so it will end up in your home’s attic. Although it doesn’t get “cold” in Florida, there are still months when the weather is “cooler.” When this happens the air you’re paying your hard-earned money to heat will get trapped in your attic instead of getting circulated back into your home where it can keep you and your family comfortable.

When there isn’t any roof insulation in your home, hot air will also enter your home throughout Florida’s hot, summer months. As you work hard to keep the heat out of your home, this unwanted summer air can pose many problems. It will force your air conditioning system to work harder to keep your home cool.

Missing or inefficient insulation also means that cool air in your home can easily escape through your roof. Energy escaping your home in this way will also make your energy bills skyrocket.

How to fix Your Roof Insulation Problems

The best way to insulate your attic is with spray foam insulation. It’s specifically designed to seal air leaks and keep water and mold from entering your home. Applying spray foam insulation to your attic’s ceiling will also reduce and prevent rainwater damage – something that will also help protect your home’s integrity. However, you can’t just use any type of insulation here because your attic poses specific challenges. As such, you’ll need insulation that has a higher R-Value. The exact R-value depends on the type of heating system your home has but will range from 38 – 49, which is much higher than what’s required by your walls (R-Value of 13 – 18).

Installing spray foam insulation is a complex process. This is easier when you install it on new construction homes during the building phase. You can also consider this when you’re doing a home renovation. However, if you have an older home that needs roof insulation, don’t worry. Spray foam insulation works great in all homes.

One thing that’s important for you to remember is that after you install spray foam insulation, your home will need to vent for a few days to get rid of the fumes. During this time you won’t be able to live there. However, once the fumes clear, your home is safe for you and your family to return home to.

If you’re still confused about your roofing options, contact Done Rite Insulation. They’ve been helping clients, such as yourself, learn about their roofing options for the past 16 years. If it’s time to rethink your roof insulation, make sure you give them a call. They will conduct an assessment and discuss with you the best ways to improve the insulation in your home.

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Conduct an Audit
Just like an annual physical exam, performing a home energy audit or assessment helps you determine the efficiency of your home. The purpose of this audit is to identify modifications that can help you save money both in the shorter and longer-term. Auditors check for leaks around doors and windows besides examining the insulation and checking furnace, ductwork, and appliances. Their report will also include recommendations for weatherizing your house.

The process of protecting both interiors and exteriors of your home from outside elements such as precipitation, wind, and sunlight is termed weatherizing. It also helps in reducing energy consumption and optimizing energy efficiency. A home energy audit closely inspects insulation in the walls, floors, and ceilings. It also helps in identifying small holes in the roof or possible leakages in pipes.

Air Conditioning
It is estimated that both cooling and heating utilizes 50% of the total energy in your house. Water heating accounts for 18% of energy usage which means that heating and cooling collectively utilizes 70% of the total home energy expenses.

Although residents in Florida rarely use heaters, air conditioning units are used in almost every house. Installing a smart thermostat can drastically reduce your costs on cooling bills as they can automatically adjust the temperature.

Remodeling an old home might require replacing the heating and cooling system with a highly efficient system. You might be paying more money upfront while installing such a system, you will save significant money over time from bills that you pay.

Home Appliances
Old appliances such as refrigerators or dishwashers waste significant energy as they consume unnecessary amounts of energy. Modern appliances have improved drastically over the years and are far more powerful and efficient. Purchase appliances labeled with Energy Star Symbol as they adhere to the standards set by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These products are independently certified and protect the environment without sacrificing any functionality or features.

Water Consumption
Irrespective of where you live, water is very precious. Although Florida has enough water, it is important to protect this valuable resource. You should install a water filtration system in your house to eliminate the use of water bottles that often end up in landfills.

Additionally, you should consider installing low-volume high-efficiency toilets as they use 20% lessor water than the standard toilets. They help in conserving water and saving money. Low flow showerheads are yet another improvement that has undergone a drastic change over the last few years.

Lighting
LED lighting has transformed the world of lighting. Despite being expensive than halogen bulbs or incandescent bulbs, they are highly cost-efficient and last for more years. LED lights also do not contain harmful toxins or mercury and do not emit harmful UV rays. Moreover, as the bulb lasts for 50,000 hours, there are fewer wastes in landfills.

Consider installing energy-efficient systems when remodeling your house. Roofing is also another key aspect of a remodeling project and if you are searching for an experienced agency to help you with your project, consider calling Done Rite Insulation. They have been serving residents of Clearwater, FL for more than a decade.

Picture Credit: Freepik

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People looking to buy their next home are growing increasingly aware that energy-efficient homes are a wise investment, and many are even willing to pay extra money for homes with “green” updates. Now that you know that this is a worthwhile investment, it’s time to look at what you can do here.

Discovering Smart Ways to Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient

The first step you need to take is to conduct an energy audit. Doing so will allow you to discover how to improve your home’s energy usage. You can do many different things here, but it’s wise to concentrate on those that cost the least but bring you the most value.

Appliances
You should first consider upgrading your appliances since they account for about 15% of your home’s energy consumption. You should consider the kilowatt-hour usage of a new appliance compared to your current one when doing so. Just because an appliance has a good Energy Star rating doesn’t mean it’ll use less energy than the one you already own.

Add Some Roof Insulation
Roof insulation is the best way to prevent heat from escaping from your home throughout the various seasons of the year. For instance, you won’t have heat entering your home during the hot Florida summer. This accomplishment isn’t something you can achieve simply by adding a new roof to your home.

One study, conducted in 2016 by Remodeling Magazine, discovered that adding roof insulation to your home costs around $1,300 but will net you a 116% return on investment. Energy Star agrees, and they’ve discovered that you can save $200 per year on your cooling costs simply by adding roof insulation to your home.

Windows
Consumer Reports say that it typically costs anywhere from $8,000 – $24,000 to replace your home’s windows. While it may take you a long time to pay this debt off, you can recoup some of the value immediately in your home’s energy savings. Energy Star estimates that you can save as much as 15% of your energy bill simply by upgrading to certified windows. With these figures in mind, there’s no doubt that this should be the next step you take once you’ve added more insulation to your roof.

Solar Panels
Although expensive to install, solar panels can save you an average of $3,000 each year. Considering the average installation cost is $12,500, you can pay this off in about four years. Afterward, you’ll be saving enough money to make the installation cost worthwhile.

Make More Money When You Sell Your Home

Before you sell your home, consider making some of these energy-efficient updates. One of the most important updates you can make is adding some roof insulation to your home. Although you probably don’t know anything about how to accomplish this task, you can rest assured that we’re here for you at Done Rite Insulation in Pinellas County, FL.

We’ve helped many homeowners add roof insulation to their homes throughout the years. They’ve watched as the value of their home increased thanks to this one simple update. Contact us today if you want to see your home’s value increases.

Picture Credit: Pexels

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The reason behind the pink color

It is a well-known fact that Owens Corning sites are spread all across the U.S. and many pink insulation rolls are coming off the lines. This cannot be said about any of the other companies. Some other brand makes use of green insulation and white insulation. In case you locate yellow fiberglass insulation you must have found the insulation that is generic and is built by older companies. It is just Owens Corning that produces the vibrant and beautiful pink color and it has been doing it for more than 65 years. Owens Corning also teamed up with The Pink Panther the famous MGM cartoon for more than 40 years.

It does not burn

Before learning about other benefits of using pink Owens Corning insulation you need to allay all fears. The first question in everyone’s mind will be, is it fire resistant? Yes, it is. It is blown-in insulation and so is naturally non-combustible meaning that it will not burn. It is also classified as non-combustible according to ASTME 136. Batt insulation made by Owens Corning is available in two types, the first is unfaced that is not combustible and the second is paper-faced having kraft paper.

Great acoustic performance

Apart from being fireproof and pink, is there anything else offered by ProCat blown-in insulation? Does it offer unmatched acoustic performance as well? If you get in touch with a reliable, local pro-insulation service to get the attic insulated by using ProCat, you will find that there is a decrease in noise transmission. It means you are going to get more peaceful nights together with quieter days within your house.

The key lies in proper installation

Although blown-in Owens Corning insulation available through the AttiCat or ProCat systems is a superior product, you might lose this additional R-value if it falls in the hands of a low-quality contractor. Proper installation is the key to maintaining R-value, comfort, and energy efficiency.

Environment friendly and no settling time required

Some of the insulations tend to settle over some time. When it is sitting there, gravity is pulling it down. It compacts critical air pockets that are the main reason behind the requirement of insulation in the first place. There is no settling required for ProCat Owens Corning insulation. The technical tests performed on the insulation show that there is less than a 2% change in dimensions over a lifetime of insulation. If the expert installer says that you are achieving R-36 on the 1st day of installation, you are going to get R-36 on the last as well.

It is green

The beautiful cotton candy color in the attic is green in reality. Fiberglass used by the product is made from 35% recycled glass content. It keeps glass away from landfills, reduces the requirement of mining, transport, cleaning, and fuses sand into glass. It is also helping in maintaining Earth and the ocean green and blue respectively.

If you live Clearwater and Pinellas County, FL area, it is a good idea to get the services of Done Rite Insulation for your requirement. Why select Done Rite Insulation? Well, remember that insulation is a part of the entire roof installation. The expert technicians from Done Rite will ensure that your Florida residence is energy-efficient and comfortable.

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We admit it…insulation isn’t the sexiest home improvement you can make.

It’s not as exciting as a whirlpool tub or a brightly colored backsplash. It’s not as trendy as an outdoor kitchen.

But if you’re looking for a home improvement which will deliver a good return on investment when you’re trying to sell, roof insulation is hard to beat. It brings the value…and it lowers your bills today….something shiny  new kitchen remodeling job just can’t do for you.

It’s an especially good improvement if your house was built before 1980. In earlier decades they just didn’t insulate the way they should.

Ok, but how much will I save really?

Up to 10% to 50% on your energy bills. So, let’s do some math. The average energy bill in Florida is about $120.

If you don’t insulate well, you’ll probably only save $144 per year…about $12 a month. But if you choose a company who is really, really good at their jobs you could start seeing something a lot closer to that 50%…putting $60 more in your pocket every month (or $720 a year). That’s an amount which could easily pay off a credit card, launch an emergency fund, or even start a vacation fund.

It also means most insulation jobs will pay for themselves in about 2.5 years. Most homeowners spend about $1,500 on the upgrade.

Your new kitchen, by contrast, will only pay a portion of its expenses when you get around to selling the home…and you may only recoup 40% of your investment, as opposed to recouping 100% or more over the amount of time you spend in the home.

And if your energy bills are higher than that, then your savings would be higher still.

Pairing insulation with other projects can help defray costs.

Need to replace the roof anyway? That’s a great time to add insulation to your attic.

Want to add it to the walls? Try scheduling an installation while the siding people are out, or after you cave and do some other remodeling project. Adding it to the walls can be difficult if you’re not going to open them up anyway.

Whenever you do it, get it done. You’re probably paying a lot more than you need to for attic insulation, and you’re probably more uncomfortable than you need to be, too. And if you can’t feel comfortable in your home, it’s hard to enjoy any of its features…even if one of those features happens to be a trendy whirlpool tub.

Image credit: Maksym Yemelyanov

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