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Posts Tagged ‘Insulation’

Environmentally Conscious Heating Tips

January 19th, 2011 Comments off

Winter Heating TipsPlanetGreen.com is one of the best sources nationally pertaining to energy conservation and sustainable living. The website recently launched 10 top home heating tips as the country continues its battle with Old Man Winter.

Among the tips, proper insulation and ventilation proved to be a major topic of discussion. As the temperature drops, it’s more and more important to have good insulation. PlanetGreen.com speaks of draftpooling, which focuses on sealing the leaks around your windows and doors to keep the cool draft outdoors. Insulation strips, door sweeps and silicone caulk tubes should help in keeping the cold weather out and the heat in.

With draftpooling come proper ventilation techniques. The last thing you want is a comfortable facility that lacks good ventilation. Condensation can grow in places like this, which can cause mold and mildew. That can lead to health issues in extreme situations. PlanetGreen.com suggests cross-ventilation (opening a window or two for several minutes in a day) to combat homes that aren’t as ventilated.

In “going green” with fighting the winter, it is suggested to purchase radiant barriers. These energy-efficient items can cut heat loss significantly while keeping you warm. Also suggested are exterior storm windows, which can increase the temperature of an inside window by as much as 30 degrees.

However you decide to battle the cold with environmentally sound tactics, let our Lewisville TX heating experts answer your questions and assist you with winterizing your home. Call our Lewisville HVAC company today, or contact us online.

Insulation Can Provide Tax Credit

December 21st, 2010 Comments off

InsulationOur Lewisville TX HVAC company wants to wish each and every one of you a very joyous holiday. As we inch closer to the holiday of your choice (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.), we also want to remind you about the opportunity to save a little money.

Consumers still have time to take advantage of the tax credit for purchasing energy efficiency. Feel free to check out the Energy Star website to see which items are available for the credit, which can help you receive a hefty credit.

Among the items eligible is insulation, and our expert Lewisville HVAC technicians are more than willing to assist you with all of your insulation needs. Proper insulation will help reduce the heating and cooling costs of your home. Insulation offers resistance to heat flow, and the more resistance offered, the lower your heating and cooling bill can be.

While the tax credit does not include installation cost from an outside company, it will cover 30 percent of the cost of insulation improvements. Taxpayers can receive a credit of up to $1,500 for all improvements that qualify under the credit stipulations. All insulation purchases must be made before Dec. 31.

Feel free to call our expert Lewisville insulation professionals today, or contact us online for more information on the tax credit or insulation service.

How Insulation Works

December 13th, 2010 Comments off

Insulation is something that many homeowners take for granted because it’s already worked into their home at the time of purchase. In fact, because most home improvement projects involve more of the aesthetic aspect of the home as opposed to the functional aspect, a homeowner might completely ignore the need to check the insulation in their home for efficiency.

Insulation can aid in saving you money and adding efficiency to the energy usage in your home in a number of ways. The basic function of insulation is to stop the flow of heat from moving out of (or into) your home to help maintain level temperatures. In the winter, insulation helps hold heat in your home so that your heating unit doesn’t have to work as hard. In the summer, it does the opposite, keeping the heat of the sun from warming the air you’ve cooled with your air conditioning.

Heat can be conducted in multiple ways, and insulation can be used in various applications to stop each of those heat transfer functions. Conduction is the transfer of heat through a medium that doesn’t move. For example, the heat warms the surface of your roof, and from there the heat transfers into the air of your attic space. Insulating the roof can assist in keeping the cool air you condition during the summer from being warmed, and it can help to stop the transfer of heat within your home during the winter to the exterior, where the elements will have your heating system working overtime.

Convection is another means of heating a space. This is actually how your home is heated – with the circulation of heat through air ducts and into the space you want to heat. However, if there are small leaks or cracks in the seals of your home, the heat will escape and circulate into the atmosphere outside your home. Insulation can help seal any potential leaks and stop the convection of heat into a space you don’t want to heat.

Heat also moves in waves, or rays. This is called radiation. Some types of insulation, such as reflective insulation, are used specifically to reduce the amount of energy that travels away from your climate controlled space. Reflective insulation can also reduce the amount of convection by dividing a space into smaller regions.

Insulation also assists in controlling moisture and ventilation in a space, so it is an essential part of your home environment in terms of comfort and precautionary measures. Lewisville insulation experts can be contacted to inspect your existing insulation and determine if it is sufficient to do the job required. Once your home is assessed, you can determine the best way to deal with your energy efficiency and the possibility of adding insulation to your home.

Insulation for Winter Weather

November 19th, 2010 Comments off

As the days and nights bring a chill to the air this winter, you want to make sure your home is readily protected against the elements. Part of this regular maintenance is to assure that your insulation is appropriate to serve its purpose. Why use insulation?

Think about the expense of your energy bills – electricity, oil, and gas – and what you spend monthly on these services. In the winter, the main use for these products is to heat your home. If your thermal insulation is inadequate, you could be spending far more money than necessary to heat your home – and to cool it in the summer. Insulation helps to maintain a more uniform temperature throughout your home and to hold in heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. This keeps the inclement weather from adversely affecting the environment within your home, your shelter from the cold weather outdoors.

Heat flows naturally from a warmer to a cooler space, which means that your indoor heat begins to seep toward the exterior of the house in the winter, where the cold winds blow. Step out into your unheated garage and notice the warmth closest to the door. By installing insulation in your home, you are blocking the release of the heat into the atmosphere and being lost.

Without sufficient insulation, your heating system will be working overtime to keep your home environment toasty and warm. You may want to have your insulation checked before the real winter chill overtakes the last of autumn, just to assure you are in a good position to make it through the freezing weather. You’ll want to contact a heating and air professional in Lewisville Texas for an inspection and recommendation. And if you do need to supplement existing insulation, Southern Comfort Mechanical A/C & Heating specialists can offer you great deals on insulation services. Don’t overwork your heater; save money and heat with proper insulation.