An HVAC system is a sizable investment, so it only makes sense that you want to get the most from it. This means ensuring that it runs as efficiently as possible. An often overlooked aspect of achieving efficiency with your HVAC system is having proper insulation in your home. If your home is poorly insulated, it will take a significant amount of energy from your system to keep your household comfortable. This increase in usage translates into more money out of your pocket every month on your energy bill.
Signs of Poor Insulation
Insulation in a home is designed to last up to 100 years, but it does deteriorate once it reaches 15 to 20 years. If you have an older home, there is the possibility that its insulation from when it was built is losing its effectiveness. While Bethany, OK, is known for having moderate humidity level most of the time, it can have a higher humidity level during summer. As time passes, this humidity can affect insulation, causing mold damage.
Let’s look at some of the signs that you may need to upgrade to proper insulation in your home:
Higher Energy Bills
When heat leakage occurs due to the current condition of your insulation, you wind up paying more for your energy bills. This is because your HVAC has to work overtime to maintain the desired temperature. Properly installed, up-to-date insulation will bring your energy bill down if you have been experiencing heat leakage.
Condensation in the Household
Without proper insulation in your home, condensation does not evaporate as quickly as it should. This could eventually lead to mold issues in your home.
Ice Dams
During the Oklahoma winters, you may notice ice dams on your roof if you do not have proper insulation. This is due to heat escaping through your roof due to insufficient attic insulation. What happens is that the snow melts during the day and then just refreezes at night, causing the ice dams. This can wind up creating quite a bit of damage to your roofing materials.
Frozen Pipes
If you regularly combat frozen pipes in the winter, this can be a sign of shoddy insulation. When your insulation is not up to par, you expose your plumbing to extreme winter temperatures, which can result in expensive repairs due to pipes bursting.
Drafts
If you notice a lot of drafts in your home, this can be a sign of improper insulation. What causes you to feel a draft is gaps in the insulation, allowing warm air to leak out while cold air is allowed to work its way in.
Pests
If you have been noticing rodents and other pests in your household, it is time to check your insulation. This can indicate that damage is being done to your insulation because this material makes for an ideal nest for pests. Not only is this bad for the effectiveness of your insulation and maintaining HVAC system efficiency, but it is also a health hazard due to pests potentially bringing disease into your home.
Inability To Maintain a Consistent Temperature
If you notice that you can get your home warm enough with your thermostat but quickly get too cold once it is off, this is a surefire sign that your current insulation is not holding in warmth.
Key Areas to Focus on With Insulation
To maximize the efficiency of your HVAC system, you will want to ensure some critical areas of your home are properly insulated. One of the most important areas is your attic. This is because this area of your home is one of the primary spots where heat loss and gain occur. A well-insulated attic keeps warm air from escaping in the winter while keeping hot air out of your home during summer.
You also want to ensure your walls and floors are properly insulated. Good insulation in your exterior walls prevents heat transfer, while the insulation in your floors creates a thermal barrier that prevents drafts and heat loss.
At TS Heat & Air, we are happy to inspect your household to see if your HVAC system is working at its maximum efficiency and if there may be an insulation issue. Our team has been providing HVAC services to the community since 1983, and we are local experts in the industry. Whether you are looking to replace your HVAC system, need a repair, or want to schedule routine maintenance, we are here for you. For more about what heating and cooling services we can do for your home in Bethany, give TS Heat & Air a call today.
