As much as we want to prolong the fall each year, the cold Minnesota winter is quickly approaching. Of course this means digging out your fluffy coat and snow shovel, but don’t overlook home prep for the long winter season. Our insulation team is here to help! A proper home insulation and energy efficiency checklist can not only save you on utility bills over the coming months, it can also ensure that your home is safe and protected.
The winter is arguably the time at which your home is most vulnerable. Devising an insulation and air sealing checklist and strategy ensures efficiency by limiting the amount of heat that is lost as your furnace runs. Insulation is recommended on exposed pipes as well to prevent freezing, bursting, and heat loss. A short visit from Snap Construction can save you hundreds of dollars in utility bills and plumbing repairs this winter. Learn more about our services:
Is Your Current Insulation Adequate?
You can seal up gaps, replace windows, etc. but it will never be enough to compensate for inadequate wall or attic insulation Minneapolis. Upgrading (or adding) insulation has benefits not only in the winter, but also when the summer rolls around to help retain cooled air. Some homes that are 30+ years old have no insulation in the attic or on exterior walls. Even cellulose insulation installed that long ago may have compacted and their performance is suffering as a result.
In addition to your walls, there could be insulation upgrades needed in the attic or in the floor joists above an unheated basement or crawlspace. Most homes actually do require an insulation renovation because ‘acceptable’ insulation levels have changed over the years. Feel free to contact us for a consultation and audit on your home’s existing insulation situation.
Sealing Air Gaps
Gaps around windows and doors should be inspected and/or repaired on an annual basis. As your home shifts and various window materials expand and contract over a year, windows and doors can experience gaps. Even if your property has triple paned, insulated energy efficient windows, if air is escaping the window is no longer working as efficiently.
Insulating Pipes and Other Features
Another thing we’ll investigate in our home insulation checklist is if energy loss is occurring at pipes. You should have pipes insulated in a variety of spots, especially ones exposed to the outdoor elements. Both hot water and cold water pipes should also be insulated in areas such as an unfinished basement. Hot water pipes will lose heat and thus drive up utility bills. Cold water pipes can form condensation (mold!) and will also absorb heat which drives up utility bills.
Hot water heaters should also be insulated. Heating up water can account for 25% of your home energy bills.
Other Types of Insulating Practices
Winter heating bills account for a large portion of your utility expenses which is why any and all practices for reducing heat loss should be examined. For example, there are insulating blinds that can be installed over curtains that help retain heat even more (in addition to an energy efficient window installation).Plastic sheeting can be installed on Minneapolis windows and even seemingly small tasks such as replacing rotted weather stripping on exterior doors can add to the overall efficiency of your home.
By far the most important thing you can do for your energy efficiency checklist prior to this winter is making sure that there is some sort of protective barrier there. Any time is the right time to improve your insulation, especially if there is nothing in place presently. Snap Construction has a variety of insulating options at your disposal too. We can install blown in insulation with minimal damage to existing walls.
Blown in insulation can also be used to bring attics up to the present acceptable codes and regulations. Some attics are presently insulated to the floor joists when in actuality it’s acceptable to insulate up to 12” past the top of the joists. We can use a combination of spray foam and caulking to seal up gaps around doors, windows, in siding, and more!
Let our insulation team prepare you for the long winter season – all you have to do is call! It’s that easy! 612-333-SNAP (7627) [email protected]