Insulation

How PROs Can Help Clients Improve Their Home’s Insulation

Most Canadian homes benefit from an increase in insulation levels, and that’s why you should be prepared to talk about insulation with homeowners no matter what work you happen to be doing for a client. Here’s what you need to be prepared to explain.

There are three main ways home insulation improves the lives of Canadians. The most immediately noticeable is comfort. Insulation is the main reason today’s homes are so much more comfortable than houses from yesteryear, both in winter and summer. Saving money is another reason insulation is easy to like, and it’s a close second to comfort for many people. Upgrading a poorly insulated home in a cold climate like ours can save enough money each year for a week-long tropical vacation for two. Boosting insulation is also good for the environment because less energy is used for heating and cooling. Explain that your clients can expect all these benefits in proportion to how poorly insulated their home is now. 

There are four main locations where insulation can be upgraded in typical stud frame Canadian houses. Some are much easier and more effective than others.

Attic insulation: Blown in is typically the most cost-effective and simple. That said, while installing batt insulation in an attic is more work than blowing insulation, no machine rental is required. While you’re talking about the simplicity and effectiveness of adding insulation to the attic, be sure to explain how radiant bubble foil on top of attic insulation reduces summertime heat transmission to the living areas below. Here in Canada it’s essential to use radiant bubble foil that’s perforated. Without perforations, problems can occur with moisture building up between the radiant foil above and the plastic vapour barrier that should be present under the ceiling below.

Equipment does exist for blowing loose-fill insulation into hollow wall cavities, but this is a hit-and-miss affair. It’s impossible to know how effective the coverage is with blown-in fibers because you can’t see inside walls, though slow-rise foam injected into wall cavities is another matter. Since this foam gives off heat as it cures, you can monitor the coverage of spray foam inside hidden wall cavities using an infrared camera. Cold areas of wall surface show dark colours places that need more foam, and bright areas show wall cavities with full coverage.

Here in Canada household insulation is one of those things that you can’t really get too much of. Whatever the budget can support is a good yardstick for moving beyond building code minimums.