Signs of Bad Attic Insulation

 Signs of Bad

 Attic Insulation

Old Fiberglass Insulation 

1. It's Pink

We all know fiberglass insulation is among the cheapest but does that mean it's the worst? Not always - but more than likely, yes! Especially when it comes to keeping your home WARM in the winter, you might want to consider ditching the pink stuff. Newer, more innovative methods include removing existing insulation and air sealing cracks and gaps with two-parts expanding spray foam THEN blow in cellulose insulation. We PROMISE it'll be a game-changer! We've helped customers save up to 85% on their energy bills and that kind of savings is no joke!!

Thermal Image of Can Lights

2. Can Lights

Can lights are always a great addition to any home however, they are known to be very leaky! This thermal image shows proof of just that! It is always best to do a thermal imaging test of your can lights during the day when the lights are not being used. Another way to tell is from the attic. If you can light coming into the attic, then air is escaping from the home! This is the air that you pay for. You don't want that air leaking into your attic, it's supposed to be heating your home! 

3. Cold Air Drafts & Cold Floors

You pay to heat and cool your home. Air loss is often due to leaks in the attic, despite having insulation. The problem often lies beneath the insulation, where gaps and cracks go unnoticed. These need to be sealed. Much like the can light example. Another factor to consider is if the attic has a proper amount of insulation. Most Indiana homes are underinsulated! Especially older homes! These types of homes are most likely to fall victim to cold air drafts as they are underinsulated and have lots of unsealed gaps and cracks for air to flow. The same goes for cold floors. You might immediately blame the basement or crawl, but due to the building envelope science (which means the physical separator between the conditioned and unconditioned environment of a building) when air is leaking out the top of the home, air must be replaced through the bottom. Meaning the house will pull in cold outside air from the basement/crawl, up into the home. Giving you the feeling of cold floors! 

4. High Energy Bills

When your home is leaky and underinsulated, it causes your heating and cooling system to work harder. When the air you pay to heat and cool your home escapes, your thermostat tells your HVAC to work harder to replace that air, causing that unit to run more often. This ends up being pretty costly, especially during those harsh summer and winter months. This wear and tear on your HVAC unit can shorten its life span and cause unexpected problems, even if you do get the system tuned-up frequently! 

5 reasons why you should choose Whole Home Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) products

With the recent COVID-19 virus pandemic, 

having clean air in your home is even 

more important than ever!

 5 reasons why you should choose Whole Home Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) products over others:

1. Cleans the air coming into your home, Before it reaches you! 

Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC)

• Portable units have a maximum reach and only cleans the air that passes through it.

2. Prolongs the life of your heating and cooling unit. 

• Since it cleans the air before it reaches your HVAC unit, you don't have to worry about excess particles building up on fan blades, motors, or ducts!

3. Clean Air gets pushed throughout entire home versus just one room! 

• Why have clean air in one room, when you have it in all the rooms in your home?!

UV Air Purifier

4. Doesn't take up any extra space 

Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC)

• Whole home units are great because they connect right to your heating and cooling unit!

5. Technology allows for cleaner air!

• Whole home IAQ units are able to capture even the smallest harmful airborne pollutants. Not to mention that some can even capture gas emissions, which portable units cannot!

Want to see more content?

 Check out Reviews, Job Stories, and more at

www.Indyhcs.com

What is a Home Energy Audit?

Energy Audit 

What is a Home Energy Audit?

An Energy Audit (sometimes called energy assessment) is a thorough assessment of a home's energy consumption. It determines how much energy your home uses, finds key areas of energy losses, and provides the homeowner with detailed solutions to make the home more energy efficient and comfortable, all while keeping your budget in mind. The key words here are prioritize and budget! Anyone can perform an energy audit, but not many will know how to properly interpret the results because not all energy leaks are equally important.

A home energy audit is a whole home assessment used to evaluate your homes energy usage, efficiency, and needs. 

an Energy Audit typically involves two parts: 

1.) Whole Home Assessment   2.) Analysis

Part 1.) Whole Home Assessment

• a certified professional Energy Expert inspects all areas of the home. 
• This includes: 
• attic
• basement
• crawlspace
• bedrooms
• living spaces
• bathrooms
• ductwork
• heating and cooling equipment 

This thorough assessment requires a considerate amount of home construction knowledge and expertise. You may have heard the terms “Blower Door Test” and “infrared gun” used when talking about energy assessments. That is because they are crucial tools used to evaluate the unseen. (see Fig. 1)

(Fig. 1) Blower Door Test

A Blower Door Test is a specialized calibrated fan that is connected to a home’s exterior door. Using an advanced computer system that is connected to the fan, a professional Energy Advisor depressurizes the home and uses industry standard formulas and tests to properly assess a homes’ total air leakage.

Additionally, an infrared gun is used in collaboration with the blower door test to pinpoint the exact location of these problematic air leakage spots.

It truly is the best way to see what is going on in your home! 

As you know, seeing air move throughout the home isn’t easy. In fact, its almost impossible with the naked eye. However, using these tools, your Energy Advisor will be able to capture and detect the unseen. 



Part 2.) Analysis

This time is used to decide what solutions should be done and in what order. It’s crucial that you are working with a certified professional because, as we mentioned before, not all leaks are equally important! The last thing you want is a company providing an estimate of work they don't do themselves or telling you that a lot of work needs to be done, when it really doesn't. That just smells of pocket profits. 

You need solutions that coincide with your budget, help cut back on energy costs, and yield the most bang for your buck! Not only that, you want a trusted advisor who is honest and will give you proper advice on DIY solutions, if they are needed. Because, as a homeowner, there are some things YOU can do on your own.

The important "big stuff" however, needs to be done by someone who has completed ample training and has lots of experience. Some of the solutions provided may be costly, and unfortunately, that is just part of it. But if you are going to invest in making your home more energy efficient (which is totally worth it) then you need someone you can trust!

Want to see more content?

 Check out Reviews, Job Stories, and more at

www.Indyhcs.com

Insulation: Fiberglass vs Cellulose

Fiberglass or Cellulose Insulation

Which is better?

 Fiberglass and Cellulose are the two most common materials used for insulation. Insulation helps a home retain its valuable cool and hot air, as well as reduces the rate at which heat transfers in and out of the home. But how can we know which type of insulation is best? 

Fiberglass Insulation

Cellulose Insulation

The iconic pink insulation, known as fiberglass insulation, is an inexpensive way of keeping the air you pay for inside your home. It's not only inexpensive but it is also very easy to install. It is fairly common, so much so that most of us have came in contact with the material at some point in their lives. And if you have, you'll know that the iconic pink color isn't the most distinctive property about the fiberglass insulation. The stuff is itchy! Just the mere touch of the stuff is enough to irritate the skin and cause a rash.

Fiberglass Insulation

As you might have guessed, the components that make up the pink, itchy insulation are just that, various fibers, most of which being glass. This cotton candy-like material is a hodge-podge of glass, limestone, soda ash, and sand. The heated glass is fed through a funnel that shreds the glass into smaller and smaller pieces, to the point that the glass itself is indistinguishable with the naked eye. This simple understanding quickly turns the cheap, easy-to-use material very dangerous. Just touching the stuff sends tiny glass shards into the air. And you think that is bad, just imagine breathing that in! 

The particles cannot be seen with the eye but that doesn't make them less dangerous, no matter how small, we are still dealing with glass. Those particles can get lodged into the skin and can cause rashes that take a long time to go away because the glass shards are stuck in the pores of the skin. Breathing the particles in can be a major irritant to a healthy person but a person with breathing issues, such as asthma, can experience far worse conditions due to long exposure to the fiberglass insulation. Not to mention that decaying over time causes excess particles to be released into the air. So if you are working on an older home with fiberglass insulation, use caution! 

Fiberglass Insulation

Safety is key when handling fiberglass insulation, but what about Cellulose? Although the fiberglass is made out of recycled materials, it can be very harmful to us. Cellulose can be a bit more pricey than the alternative but it is much safer to handle! No itchy irritants in this stuff. 

It is made from recycled wood fibers and is treated with fire retardant materials. This means two things: 1, the cellulose insulation is more dense and can fit in much smaller places than fiberglass insulation. This offers more protection against heat transferring in/out of the home. 2, the fire retardant insulation protects against fires. While no material can be fire proof, it can help in emergency situations by slowing the rate at which the flames spread. Unlike fiberglass, which is highly flammable and can actually cause the flames to spread more quickly. 

Cellulose Insulation

It should also be known that insulation does not prevent air flow, it slows it down, and acts more like a blanket. Spray foam insulation is different. It actually prevents the flow of air and is used to seal up cracks, gaps, and wholes. This is typically done first and Cellulose (preferably) or Fiberglass insulation then placed in the areas of concern. 

With these precautions and information, you now are able to get your home properly insulated! Keep in mind that if you are living in an older home with fiberglass, the insulation worn and will be broken down, causing more glass particles to be airborne. Additionally, the home might not be air sealed properly. 

It is safe to say that despite the condition of your home, cellulose insulation is the better choice. With proper air sealing and the proper amount of cellulose insulation, your days of wasting precious air (that you pay for) are long gone! 

Want to see more content?

 Check out Reviews, Job Stories, and more at

www.Indyhcs.com

Expert Tips

Simple, basic HVAC maintenance tips to get the most out of your heating & cooling system 

#1 Replace Air Filter 

Our experts at IndyHCS recommend to change your filters every 3-4 months, depending upon your living situation. The more people and pets in the house, the more frequently you want to change your filters. But at the very least, you should be checking your filters every 3-4 months to check the condition.  

#2 Don't Forget To Dust 

Hey, we aren't your mom. So what if you haven't dusted in a while? Keeping vents and registers clear of dust and debris will help your HVAC unit keep the air in your home cleaner. By dusting regularly, you are putting less pressure on your air filters. They already capture particles in the air that you can't see but if they are full of dust then they won't be able to do their job properly! This is especially true if you have pets in the home.  

#3 Noisy Unit  

Try to get a good understanding of which noises are normal and which can be problematic. Our experts at IndyHCS would be happy to help you decipher these noises. Keeping a note of the noises your unit makes could help save you a bunch of money! Catching problems early will not only save you money, but it will save you the headache of being stuck without heat/cool-air! 

#4 Keep Unit Clear Of Debris

Removing sticks, leaves, and other debris away from your outdoor unit will help prevent potential damage. While the unit is made to endure various weather conditions, you can increase the life of your unit by decreasing the amount of extra work it takes to run. A dirty unit makes for a hard working unit, and we don't want that.

Want to see more content?

 Check out Reviews, Job Stories, and more at

www.Indyhcs.com