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Tag: insulation

The Best and Most Effective Insulation Upgrades

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In order to withstand the unique demands of Canadian homes, it is important to ensure adequate and effective insulation of your property. The right insulation upgrades will not only lower your energy costs, but also pay for themselves within a reasonable amount of time.

So whether you are a homeowner who is looking to enhance comfort, or an eco-conscious individual aiming to minimize your carbon footprint, understanding the best and most effective insulation upgrades is a journey well worth undertaking. Enjoy!

Attic Insulation

When it comes to insulation upgrades, the attic deserves special attention. Heat naturally rises, making the attic a primary escape route for warmth during cold Canadian winters. By upgrading the insulation of your attic, you can create a barrier that traps heat inside your home, resulting in a lower energy consumption and increased comfort.

Another added benefit, is that a good layer of insulation on the attic, as well as a professional installation, can help prevent the formation of ice dams or moisture build-up. These issues can damage your roof and gutter system. So by keeping your attic cozy and well-insulated, you ensure that your entire home remains comfortable throughout the year.

The most common methods encompass batt insulation, blown-in insulation, and rigid foam insulation. Each method exhibits distinct advantages in terms of installation ease, coverage uniformity, and thermal performance. Consider contacting us at The HandyForce, in order to hear more about the best type of insulation for your current situation.

Wall Insulation

While we often focus our attention on roofs and windows, it is important not to overlook insulating the walls of your home. Properly insulated walls act as a buffer against outdoor temperature fluctuations, keeping your indoor environment comfortable year-round.

And like most other forms of insulation, wall insulation helps maintain a consistent and pleasant indoor temperature, regardless of the outside being very warm or very cold. This means you will need to spend less money on heating during winter, and less money on cooling during the warm months.

Upgrading wall insulation can be achieved through various methods. Consider adding insulation to exterior walls through blown-in or foam insulation techniques. Alternatively, insulated siding combines protection and aesthetics, ensuring that your home remains energy-efficient while enhancing its curb appeal.

Basement and Crawl Space Insulation

Basements and crawl spaces often remain neglected when it comes to insulation, yet their insulation plays a critical role in preventing heat loss and moisture infiltration. In Canadian homes, where cold temperatures can permeate from below, proper basement and crawl space insulation is essential for a comfortable indoor environment.

Therefore it is a good idea to upgrade the energy efficiency of your home, by also insulating below-grade spaces. Whether it is done by insulating basement walls with rigid foam, or encapsulating crawl spaces to prevent moisture intrusion, these insulation upgrades not only enhance comfort but also contribute to the overall durability of your home.

Windows and Doors

Some of the best places to insulate on a home, is the areas that have a direct connection with the outside. Thus it is recommended to consider upgrading older windows to new and more modern ones, as well as ensure the areas around windows and doors are fully sealed.

By upgrading to energy-efficient windows and adding weatherstripping to doors prevents drafts, you will notice a significant improvement on the overall energy consumption of your home, making it more effective.

If you are interested in learning more about your options, we at The HandyForce would love to hear from you. Our professionals can help evaluate your property, as well as perform any job you require with expertise.

About the many benefits of adding insulation

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With rising prices for warm water, electricity and gas, as well as growing concerns about our environment on a whole, there has never been a better time to consider insulating your home.

Especially in older homes, insulating can make a huge difference in your monthly bills, as well as your general health and comfort when living in a house that is warm year round, keeps the moisture out, and even has additional soundproofing and fire resistant properties.

So if you are interested in learning more about why insulating is considered one of the best investments you can make for your home, this blog post will get you up to speed with all the many benefits of insulation, as well as a few tips if you decide to move forward with the project.

Lowers your monthly expenses

In many cases you will be able to achieve significant savings on your electricity and water bills, by insulating exposed areas and padding the walls. The actual cost of insulating your home can often be drastically lower than the price you pay for installation, since you will reap the benefits of lower expenses for many years to come.

Combats the cold effectively

One of the major reasons people choose to insulate their homes, especially here in Canada, is due to the ever changing seasons, and especially winter. With temperatures dropping off near the end of summer, homeowners often prepare themselves for 5-7 months of cold weather.

But your home should always be your safe haven, and one of the best ways to make your home more comfortable is to ensure it is well insulated, so you can keep warm and cozy all year round.

Improves the value of the home

An often overlooked benefit of insulating a home or commercial property, is that you will effectively make the house more valuable when it becomes time to sell it on the market. People are willing to pay more for a properly insulated home, not just because of the lower heating bills, but equally so these days, because of the lower environmental impact the house has.

Provides a better indoor climate

A home that is not properly insulated will often be dealing with certain issues such as mold or rot. This is because when the colder air from the outside meets with the warmer air on the inside, a moisture barrier is created, and this can lead to serious health issues if not taken care of in time. Insulating your home helps keep you and your family safe and in good health.

Adds a layer of sound protection

Given the nature of insulating, it is only natural that an extra layer of material between the walls, or in the ceiling, will provide even more of a barrier for sound to travel through. This is a welcome additional benefit, especially in older homes there the sound can carry itself quite a distance.

Emits less greenhouse gas

A properly insulated home requires less heating and uses less electricity and or gas. This in turn leads to less of an impact in terms of the emitted CO2, thereby making the home more sustainable, as well as more desirable for the next generations.

The Advantages of Energy Efficient Home Renovations

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One of the most popular reasons for renovating homes in Canada is in order to achieve a more energy efficient home. And for good reason. The winters here can be brutal, and even spring and fall can see the temperatures plummet overnight.

Having a well insulated home that does not waste energy unnecessarily is one of the easiest ways to save money without much effort. Once it is installed that is. In this article we list some of the different benefits you can look forward to by renovating your home and making it more energy efficient.

Lower energy bills

This is what most people think of when talking about efficient and green home renovations. There are a number of different ways in which you can lower your need for electricity, gas and other power and heating sources, all of which share the same goal: to lower your energy bill.

In Canada one of the most important things is insulation. Whether this is by padding the roof with a thick layer to keep out the cold winds, or whether it is to upgrade your windows with new energy efficient materials.

If this is your primary concern, we recommend you talk to your contractor about which renovations make the most sense in terms of return on your investment, as some renovations can pay for themselves in a few years, while others might take decades.

A more comfortable home

By renovating your home to become more efficient, you can achieve a warmer indoor climate that just feels nicer living in. And with the lower energy costs, it will also make it psychologically easier to turn up the heat to full when the cold winds are threatening your comfort level.

By filling out empty areas around doors, windows and other openings in your home, you can eliminate drafts, improve your insulation and achieve a more stable climate. And if you choose the right materials, you will even get a cooling benefit during the warmest months of the year as well.

Helping our planet

The less energy your home uses every year, the more environmentally friendly your home is considered to be. Due to the geographical location, Canadian homes are using roughly twice as much energy a year compared to a home in the United Kingdom.

By upgrading, insulating and renovating with the environment in mind, you can do your part in protecting our planet and slowing down the effects of global warming. We have already begun to see the effects of this trend, as 2019 saw a 0.4% decrease in yearly emissions for homes. A good start, but we can do better still.

It will increase the value of the home

Finally, performing energy efficient upgrades to your home will inevitably raise the value when reselling it down the line. As more and more consumers are aware of the environmental challenges, and as prices for gas and electricity continue to rise, this will only be more important as time goes on.

Another added benefit is that if a potential buyer is deciding between your house and another, but your house has energy efficient upgrades, that could just be the deciding factor. Even if the other home is located in a slightly more desirable area or similar.

The Benefits of Upgrading Your Home’s Insulation

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Are you considering renovating your home to better withstand the Canadian winter? Or perhaps you wish to reduce noise, increase the value of your house, or perhaps do your part for the environment?

With insulation you can achieve all of the above and more. In this article we will cover all the different advantages that modern insulation provides, as well as discuss how it can be done cheaper than you might expect. Enjoy!

Less energy required

Few home renovation projects deliver as many benefits as good insulation. One of the most immediate results is that your home will require less energy in order to be heated and cooled down, saving your money on your utility bills, and also getting rid of those annoying cold winds blowing through the small cracks of your exterior.

Less noise pollution

Insulating your home with adequate levels of padding will also reduce the amount of noise you hear from the outside, which can be especially beneficial if you live near a busy intersection, have noisy neighbors, or just like your peace and quiet. It is also possible to only insulate certain rooms, making it possible to work from home without any distractions and a huge hit to your wallet.

Less moisture and better air quality

A properly insulated home will remove most air leaks that seep in through creeks and cracks from windows, door panels, ceilings and any other places. The air quality will be improved automatically, and if you also happen to have HVAC systems in place, you will notice even better results.

This not only leads to less energy consumption as mentioned above, but by using vapor barriers you can also eliminate a lot of the moisture that is in the air. Moisture can damage your home over time if left untreated, leading to water damage or mold.

More value added to your home

Canadians looking to buy homes are increasingly looking for well insulated homes that are ready to move into. This is because of the rising energy prices, as well as the added level of comfort that this provides.

By upgrading your home’s insulation, you can achieve a good return on your investment when the time comes to sell your home.

Certain types of insulation provide better returns, so if you are only looking to add value, we recommend you contract a professional company, such as HandyForce that can help identify the most optimal places to insulate.

Not as expensive as you might think

And speaking of return on investment, another benefit is that upgrading your home’s insulation can yield returns of up to 40% in Canada, according to the Canadian Home Builders’ Association. This is because energy costs tend to be high in Canada, especially during the winter months.

Similarly, Canadian homeowners apply for some of the various incentives set forth by the Canadian government, in order to make it more affordable overall. One such incentive is titled the Canada Greener Homes Grant, which offers up to $5,000 in rebates for energy efficient home improvements such as insulation.

If you are looking for an upgrade of your home’s insulation, consider contacting HandyForce Home Services today, and schedule a consultation with one of our insulation experts. We can help you identify the best insulation options for your home and provide professional installation services to ensure that your home stays comfortable and efficient.