Friday, June 12, 2009
What You Should Know About Attic Insulation
One surefire way to reduce your heating cooling expenses in
your home is by adding insulation in the attic. Heat and cool
air often leaks from the home through the attic, therefore
properly insulating can efficiently conserve energy for you.
When correctly installed, attic insulation can reduce your
energy bill by about 20% or more each month. As well, there are
lots of different materials that are frequently used for
insulating attics. Most often, you don’t even have to hire a
professional to do this. You can do most attic improvements
yourself.
When considering the type of insulation that you’ll want to use
in your attic, think about the R-value. The R-value of is the
insulation’s ability to resist against heat flow. The higher the
R-value, the more successful it will be to insulate your home.
The materials can vary in thickness, which means that some
insulation averages an value of R-3 while others are as high as
R-8 per inch. It’s important to remember that over time, most
insulation will lose some of its capacity to insulate and will
lessen in R-value.
There are tons of reasons to think about replacing or improving
your attics insulation. If you have little or no insulation, or
you have it but it’s old, then replacing it has much benefit.
Also, you’ll want to consider insulation if you have large
energy bills or if your walls or attic have been open to the
elements during remodeling.
There are many types of material that can be good options for
using in attic spaces for insulating. Cellulose insulation is
made of ground up wood or paper. It’s often used in attics and
commonly has additives that prevent mold as well as resistance
to fire.
Another type of insulation material is fiberglass. This is made
of molten glass strands. It is also resistant to fire. Wood
shavings are not used much any more for insulating in attics.
This is because it can be much too heavy for the inside of
attics, plus can promote fungal growth.
Before you begin adding or replacing insulation to your attic
you consider the fact of whether or not you have moisture
problems in your home. Adding the insulation can hasten this
problem. If moisture gets trapped in the insulation material it
can easily cause mildew and dangerous molds to grow and spread.
This is beyond the fact that it can also cause staining and
rotting of the ceiling as water and moisture collect in the
attic. You should seal any and all air leaks before you put in
your insulation in your home. This will also help lower your
energy bill simply by keeping the cold air from entering.
Always use much caution when working with insulation material.
Be sure to protect your hands and eyes by wearing protective
gear that will cover your nose as well. You’ll be thankful when
you do.
About the Author: Linden Walhard regularly pens publications on
latest developments in drywall equipment and air tools. Working
on his detailed writings such as
http://www.insidewoodworking.com/drywall/index.html ,the
columnist established his deep knowledge on subjects dealing
with drywall tools.
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=126300&ca=Home+Management
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Why You Should Have A Solar Attic Fan Installed
For those of you who are lucky to have an attic it's generally advised that you buy an attic fan. There are different types available however buying one which is solar power offers a number of advantages. Not only is it great for those who want to reduce their impact on the environment but it also means you don't have the hassle of installing loads of cables. Having an electrical engineer in your home can be very expensive so buying solar power can save you a lot of money on installation and running costs.
One of the problems faced with attics is moisture and your solar attic fan can be set up to work automatically as it's able to store power gained from the sun. Because it's solar powered you don't have to do much to install it and they are very simple units so the chance of them breaking down is minimised.
You don't have to live in the middle of a desert to experience hot temperatures. Most places in the world will suffer at least a few days or weeks or raging heat. Most people living in hot climates will already have some air con units installed in their homes but for the rest of us who live in a temperate climate, this is not something we normally have the luxury of. Even if you do have air con units or cold air fans, the cost of powering these can be astronomical. Energy costs are becoming more and more expensive and less affordable so it's important that we look for alternatives such as solar power.
If you have ever had to go into your attic whilst there is a heat wave you will feel like you've just walked into an oven. It's so hot you may even feel as if you're going to pass out. Luckily an attic fan will transfer the hot air in your attic outside bringing the temperature of your attic back down to a much more tolerable temperature.
Attic fans along with gable ventilators work on the same principal of having a solar panel positioned on the roof. The panels takes the energy from the sun's rays and this energy is then stored into battery so that the ventilation can work even at night or when it's very cloudy. Although installation is quite easy if you are used to DIY, having the solar panel placed on the roof is the part which you may find a bit more difficult. For those of you who are used to carrying out DIY tasks in the house you should find this easy, otherwise you can just get a tradesperson in to do the job for you.
April Kerr often writes articles for home remodelling site which also has articles relating to solar panels and solar powered attic fans.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Why You Should Have A Solar Attic Fan Installed
