Attic Insulation Services in Tulsa, OK

Insulation services - Attic insulation services in tulsa

Solid insulation in the right places in your home is critical to maximize indoor comfort and minimize monthly cooling and heating costs. Insulation is the material that resists the movement of heat inside the house. What’s more, it works both ways: holding heat in and keeping heat out, depending on the season. Learn more about the Inflation Reduction ACT energy tax credits available for home insulation and more HERE.

Heat in Motion

It’s a fundamental fact of physics that heat always moves from a warm zone into a cooler zone. Unfortunately, it’s usually moving the wrong direction for home comfort and efficiency. In winter, heat produced by your furnace tends to radiate out of the house into colder outdoor air, increasing heating costs. In summer, conversely, outdoor heat constantly infiltrates the cooler indoors, causing your air conditioner to run extended cycles to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures.

Material Matters

Solid insulation is an all-season material that keeps summer heat outside and holds winter warmth inside. Because the cost of heating and cooling represents at least 50% of a home’s total energy expense, that’s a major benefit to your budget.

Here are some other facts about proper, solid insulation in your home:

• Solar energy radiates through the roof in summer, increasing indoor temperatures and AC usage. In winter, rising heat in rooms seeps through the ceiling, causing the furnace to run longer cycles. In most homes, ground zero for insulation in all seasons is the attic.

• Fiberglass batts are the least expensive and most common residential attic insulation. The recommended depth of rollout fiberglass batts in an attic in southern regions averages 12 inches up to 20 inches.

• Cellulose insulation is more efficient. Blown in under air pressure, it provides better heat resistance at a lesser amount, with the recommended depth starting at 8 inches and ranging up to 15 inches.

• Insulation should always be accompanied by air sealing to eliminate cracks and gaps in ceilings that allow heat loss or heat gain, depending on the season. This includes sealing air leaks around ceiling light fixtures and attic pull-down stairs.

Ask the professionals at Air Assurance for more about the benefits of solid insulation in your home.

Tulsa, OK - Where Does Your Home Need Insulation Most?

Tulsa OK - Insulation Services

Making sure your home is well insulated is one of the best things you can do to boost energy efficiency and lower your utility bills. If you're planning to replace or supplement your home's insulation, it's important to know how to evaluate insulation, and which parts of your home need it the most.Where to startSome areas in your home are a higher priority than others when it comes to insulation. If you can invest in adding insulation to only one area, it should be your attic. Heat rises, and it can easily flow right out of your house if your attic doesn't have enough insulation.Other areasOf course, insulation should never end with your attic. An energy-efficient house should be well insulated throughout. A few other important areas include:

• Exterior walls

• Cathedral ceilings

• Foundations

• Floors, especially over an unheated garage

• Ducts

• Basements and crawl spaces

Evaluating insulationBefore you add insulation to your home, you should get an idea of how much insulation you already have, and what types of insulation are being used in your house. There are a few ways to do this.

• Contact a home energy auditor to perform a whole-house energy assessment, including an insulation check.

• Inspect the insulation yourself in unfinished areas where it might be exposed. Good places to check include exposed floors and walls in your attic, basement and crawl space.

• Inspect exterior walls through electrical outlets. To do this, first turn off the power to an outlet, then remove the outer cover. Shine a flashlight in to see the insulation, and remove a small piece if necessary.

R-valuesYou can judge the efficiency of new and existing insulation by its R-value. Insulation's R-value is a simple way to judge its resistance to heat conduction, and thus its efficiency. R-values are listed on the packaging when you purchase insulation. Most homes should be insulated with an R-value of at least R-30.For more information on adding insulation to your home, contact Air Assurance Heating and Air Conditioning. We've been serving the Broken Arrow area for more than 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     Insulation Maintenance image via Shutterstock

Proper Attic Insulation Can Save Money and Energy this Season

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Good attic insulation is one of the easiest ways to keep Broken Arrow's freezing winters from stealing your comfort. By reducing the load on your furnace, insulation also helps hold down your heating bills.

The Importance of Attic Insulation

The warm air from your furnace naturally rises toward your ceiling. Without sufficient air sealing and insulation in the attic, that warmth will flow into the attic and then through the roof. This not only wastes heat, it also contributes to moisture and mold issues in the attic and ice dams that could damage your roof. To keep your home warm and free from damage, your attic should have at least an R-38 layer of insulation, which requires around 12 inches of fiberglass batts. For even greater energy efficiency, add more insulation to achieve an R-60 layer.

Choosing the Right Insulation

Insulation is available in two forms and a number of different materials. Every type of insulation has pros and cons, so review your options before you decide how to improve your attic insulation. Your options include:

Batt insulation — These strips are cut to fit between floor and wall joints, making them easy for a non-professional to lay into place. Batts are produced in fiberglass, cellulose, mineral wool, plastic fiber, cotton, and sheep's wool, among other materials. Fiberglass and cellulose are the most efficient of these, but mineral wool helps more with noise reduction.

Loose-fill (blown-in) insulation — Produced as small pieces of material designed to be installed using a blower machine, loose-fill insulation fills in small corners better than batts, so it insulates more efficiently. On the downside, you'll need to rent a blower machine or hire a professional for insulation.

Rigid foam — These stiff boards of polystyrene or other foam can be set into place without special equipment. While they're highly efficient and moisture resistant, the higher cost compared to batts or loose-fill makes them less popular for use in attics.

If you could use professional help to improve your attic insulation, contact us at Air Assurance in the Broken Arrow area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “irin k/Shutterstock”

Insulation: What's The Difference Between Cellulose And Fiberglass?

Choosing between cellulose and fiberglass insulation remains a hotly debated topic among homeowners, considering that these two are very common and affordable insulation options. Both materials have advantages and limitations, so let's take a look at the main differences to determine which type works best for your home and why. CompositionCellulose is made from shredded recycled paper mixed with chemicals to bind the fibers together and reduce the flammability of the material. Fiberglass, on the other hand, is made from recycled glass and sand.Fire Resistance When exposed to high temperatures, fiberglass will melt but will not catch fire. Cellulose, while made of paper, is treated with fire retardants to prevent combustion. However, these chemicals could leach out over time and decrease the material's ability to resist fire.SettlingFiberglass rolls and batts do not have settling issues. The loose-fill type, however, will settle slightly over time, although the settling is negligible. Cellulose material, on the other hand, can settle by as much as 20 percent, thus affecting the final thickness of the material and requiring an additional layer.Low Temperature PerformanceFiberglass loses heat more quickly than cellulose and often registers a lower R-value in cold weather.MoistureWater is used for installing cellulose insulation, so vapor retarders are added. It has to be completely dry before the wall cavity is closed up. Otherwise, the material will absorb moisture and become susceptible to rotting. Fiberglass does not have this issue.InstallationMost DIY projects involve fiberglass because it is easy to cut and install. It does, however, require careful, meticulous attention to install properly, which takes time. With cellulose, however, the process is quicker provided you have an insulation blower and you are not likely to do a sloppy job.So which type of insulation is right for you? Let our technicians at Air Assurance  help you decide. We have been providing top quality products and services to our clients in Broken Arrow for nearly 30 years. We can work with you to identify the best solutions for your needs.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Here's How to Check Insulation Levels in Your Home

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If you'd like to lower your energy bills and improve your home comfort, addressing sources of air leakage and areas with inadequate insulation can help. Checking two key areas where these problems often occur can help you decide if it's time to hire a professional to boost the insulation level and seal up air leaks.

Up in the Attic

For home attics in our region, the Department of Energy (DOE) advises insulating the floor to R-60, and correcting air leaks to reduce heat transfer with the living areas below. You can perform a couple of easy checks to assess these issues:

• When it's dark out, turn on the lights in the rooms below the attic. Go up there, close the hatch and take a thorough look around the floor to locate any leak sources where light bleeds through from below.

• To judge the insulation level, turn on your attic lights and look around again. If you see the tops of the floor joists in any spot, there's not enough insulation. If the joists are well-hidden, you likely have a sufficient amount installed.

You can fix areas of energy waste and increase the efficiency of your home by sealing the attic, installing a vapor barrier on the floor, and increasing insulation to the recommended level.

Your Exterior Walls

According to the DOE, your exterior wall cavities should have R-19 in insulation installed, and you should seal leaks in the exterior shell by weatherstripping and using caulk and expandable foam insulation. To assess these areas:

• Take off the electrical box covers on the exterior walls, then shut their breakers off. Using a flashlight, look inside each box for signs of insulation. If none is visible, your walls probably need insulation.

• At night, shut off all the interior lights in your home, then walk around shining a flashlight at the exterior walls. Get a helper to follow you outdoors to identify any spots where leaks let the light shine through from inside.

Contact us at Air Assurance for more advice about increasing the insulation level and sealing leaks in your Broken Arrow home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about insulation and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “john-kasawa/Shutterstock”

How to Ensure Your Home Has Solid Insulation

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Having a home that’s well insulated helps keep colder air out during winter and hotter air out during summer. This helps your Broken Arrow home feel more comfortable overall. Having enough insulation can also help prevent moisture damage and keep pests out of your home. How can you tell if your home has solid insulation? The following signs can indicate that your home could use more insulation.

Increasing Energy Bills

Have you noticed that your energy bills keep going up, especially when you heat your home in winter or run your air conditioning in summer? Energy bills that are higher than usual might mean that your home doesn’t have solid insulation. With enough insulation, your HVAC system doesn’t have to use as much energy to cool or heat your home. Insulation helps prevent air leaks from occurring, leading to a warmer home in winter and a cooler home in summer without constantly running your HVAC system.

Cold or Hot Rooms

When a certain room or area of your home always seems colder in winter and hotter in summer, you might need to add insulation. You might notice this more in rooms that are under a poorly insulated attic or over your garage. Adding insulation helps prevent hot attic air from heating up these areas in summer or cold outdoor air from cooling them down too much in winter.

Damp or Cold Walls, Ceilings, and Floors

When walls, ceilings, or floors in your home feel cold to the touch during winter, this can indicate that you need more insulation. These surfaces might also feel damp when you touch them, since more moisture can get into your home when it doesn’t have enough insulation.

Attic Leaks

Water leaks in your attic might mean that you have an insulation problem. Adding insulation to this part of your home should help keep water and moisture out of your attic.

If you need solid insulation in your Broken Arrow home, please contact Air Assurance. Our team can help you determine if your home has solid insulation and add more if it's needed.

How to Check Your Home Insulation Levels

On cold winter nights, people start thinking a lot more about proper home insulation levels. Insulation installed in the attic and often inside walls prevents both heat loss from the house during winter and heat gain in the summer. Most homes are insulated by either fiberglass batts or cellulose loose-fill.

How Much Is Enough?

Insulation is rated according to its R-value per inch. The higher the R-value, the more effectively the material inhibits the movement of heat.

In our Oklahoma climate zone, current standards recommend insulating the attic to a level of R38 to R60. For fiberglass batts, this translates to 12 to 18 inches. For cellulose, the depth should be 10 to 16 inches.

Wall cavities should be insulated to at least R13. The material should fill the cavity from top to bottom.

Checking Your Level

As the prime location for heat loss and heat gain, the attic is the most important part of the house to insulate adequately. Here's how to measure the level in the attic:

• Wear a long-sleeve shirt and long pants. A face mask to prevent inhalation of insulation fibers or other airborne particulates is a good idea too.

• Take a yardstick with you.

• Stay safe. Make sure you step only on the center walkway boards. Don’t step on insulation, as the ceiling below may collapse.

• To measure fiberglass batts, insert the yardstick down between the edge of the batt and the adjacent attic joist until it stops.

• Measure cellulose loose-fill by pushing the yardstick down into the mound of material until you feel it contact the ceiling below. Because cellulose depth may vary across the attic, take several measurements at different spots to arrive at an average.

Wall Insulation

If your home has insulated wall cavities, measuring isn’t a practical option for the do-it-yourselfer. Manual measurements would require opening up walls to access the enclosed insulation. A better alternative is to have a qualified HVAC contractor utilize thermal imaging to verify the amount and type of insulation inside the wall.

For professional advice and service to determine your home-insulation levels, contact the experts at Air Assurance.

Insulation Costs - Winter Attic Safety and Savings

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Getting your attic sealed and insulated can boost your family's comfort and help you save energy both winter and summer. In our climate, temperatures in an unfinished attic can climb too high for safety many months of the year, so winter is the ideal time to have more insulating R-value added. Attic safety should still be a primary concern even when there's less risk of heat exhaustion and dehydration, so be sure to take these steps before you or a hired pro begin insulating:

Always Wear Protective Gear

Your attic can contain all sorts of injury hazards, so anyone going up there to work needs to wear proper protective gear. This means durable clothing that fully covers the arms and legs, and head protection such as a sturdy hat or helmet. Gloves and safety goggles to protect hands and eyes are needed too, and a respirator to prevent inhalation of insulation fibers.

Set Up Walking Paths

Creating walkways in your attic can make it safer and easier to access areas that need sealing and insulating. First, move any obstacles so you have clear paths to different areas, then lay down 1x4 boards to form a one-foot wide walkway. To keep the boards from slipping and wobbling, screw or nail the ends of each one to the attic floor joists.

Prevent Accidental Shocks

Do a detailed check of your attic to find any obvious or hidden electrical hazards that may cause shocks or electrocution. Check for loose wiring at floor level, gnawed or damaged wires, and open junction boxes. If you find any problems, have them fixed by an electrician before you insulate.

Light Up the Space

Good visibility is paramount for safely working in an attic. If yours only has one or two single-bulb lights, one option is to have your electrician install more. Alternately, you can put a couple of appropriately-rated extension cords and movable work-lights up there so there's plenty of illumination to safely air seal and insulate the entire attic.

For more advice about attic safety in your Broken Arrow home, contact us today at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

The Most Important Places to Insulate in Your Home

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Many homeowners take for granted the insulation that's hidden in the walls, floors and attic of their house, yet insulation plays a crucial role in both energy efficiency and comfort. While all houses have some level of insulation, many don't have enough, or else have it in the wrong places. Areas to insulate include the basement and attic and everywhere in between.

How Does Insulation Work?

Insulation, in whatever form, provides a barrier to slow down the movement of heat energy between the inside and outside of a building. Heat energy is always striving to move from warm to cold, which means in the summer, the outside heat is trying to infiltrate the inside of your house. During the winter, heat inside your home is seeking to escape. Insulation slows down that movement of heat energy (not the same as air movement). While insulation will stop some movement of air, a house also should be tightly sealed against air leaks. Insulation without air sealing doesn't work any better than air sealing without insulation.Without sufficient insulation, your house will suffer from heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter. This will force your HVAC equipment to work harder than necessary to keep the house comfortable, which means energy is being wasted, equipment is being stressed, and your comfort is compromised.

Areas to Insulate

The walls of a house form the greatest amount of square footage exposed to the outside. Consequently, it's vitally important to have adequate insulation in your home's walls. The basement or crawl space are also areas that are prone to heat loss/gain, which means they also need insulation.Your home's attic is probably the area where the greatest amount of heat movement occurs — coming in through the roof down into the living spaces in summer, and stealing heat from those living spaces in the winter.A properly weatherized home should have an energy-efficiency strategy that combines insulation and air sealing with energy-efficient HVAC equipment.For help determining what areas to insulate in your Broken Arrow area home, please contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about insulation and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “io-images/Pixabay”

Is Your Heat Seeping Out Of Your Windows? Insulation Tips That Will Save You Money

Winter is in full force in Oklahoma and you could be spending more money on your heating bill than you need to be. Drafty windows are one of the top ways for heat to escape your home. Making sure that windows are properly insulated is the best way to increase the energy efficiency of your home.

Test the windows in your home for drafts. Place a candle or tissue next to the window. If your see the flame on the candle flicker, or if the tissue flutters, then that means there is a draft coming from the window. The window should be insulated to keep heat in.

Here are a few insulation tips to consider when preparing your home for the chill of winter.

• Repair any cracked glass or damaged trim around the window. Most of the time drafts are caused by loose trim or the panels of the window. Replacing these or using caulk to seal the leaks will save a lot of heat. Like caulk, putty can be used to fill in cracks and air leaks in the wood paneling and trim work around the window.

• Single pane windows are a big source of heat loss in older homes. To keep from replacing the glass you can buy window insulating plastic. This is a sheet of place that is cut to fit over the window. It is hung around the edges of the trim tightly, and left up all winter.

• Another great insulation tip is to hang heavy curtains or drapes during the winter months. When coupled with storm windows and other insulation methods the drapes will help the home retain heat.

Saving money on utility bills is a big concern for many people, and by following a few insulation tips you can save a few bucks each month. You will also be a little warmer this winter. For more information on proper insulation of your home contact Air Assurance, providing quality service to the Tulsa metropolitan area for over 25 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Insulation Tips To Help You Choose The Right Type For Your Home Improvement Project

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When you're adding a room or remodeling, insulation is a vital component to add to increase the comfort of the space indoors. The effectiveness of insulating materials is measured by its R-value, which is the term that describes how long the product resists temperature change in hours. If a material has an R-value of R-19, it means that it can resist a temperature change for 19 hours. Insulation is available in a number of different forms, including batt, loose, formed and liquid. Choosing the right kind depends on the project and where the material will be used.Batt Batts are easy to install and provide R-values based on the thickness of the material. Most often found as fiberglass or rock wool, the batts can be nailed or stapled between joists or studs. Thicker batts have higher R-values. The EPA recommends R-values of R-30 to R-60 in the attic and R-15 in the walls in this part of Oklahoma. Adding insulation to your basement ceiling or attic is an easy project with batts, since they unroll easily and the material is contained within protective outer covering.Blown-inWhen you need to add insulation to existing walls or new construction, blown-in provides good R-values and it can be easier to install than other kinds. Blown-in insulating materials are most often made from cellulose, 85 percent of which is recycled paper. The product is treated with borates as a fire retardant, which also protects against insect and rodent damage. Installers use a blower to add the material to attics and walls. The depth of the installation dictates R-value and thicker is always better.FoamWhen space is limited, whether for new construction or retrofitting, foam products provide the best values for resisting heat, with R-values that range from four to eight per inch. These are available as formed sheets or expanding urethane sprays. Insulating with expanding foam is more expensive than batt or blown-in.When you're planning to add to your home or do a home improvement project, contact Air Assurance. We can help you with planning the heating, ventilating and air conditioning, and yes, insulation,  for the space.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     Insulation Maintenance image via Shutterstock

Insulation: Do Your Numbers Add Up?

When choosing insulation for your home, you need to understand its R-value. An R-value is a measure of thermal resistance: it indicates an insulation’s capability to resist heat flow, and how well it will heat and cool your house. The higher an insulation’s rating, the more effective it is.An R-value is contingent on the type of insulation, its thickness, and its compactness. How effective your insulation's resistance to heat flow is will also depend on how and where it is installed. A wall or ceiling’s overall R-value will be slightly different from the insulation’s R-value, since some heat flows around the insulation through the studs and joists. That’s why it is important to correctly install your insulation to attain its maximum R-value.Here are some other things you should know about R-values:

• Different types of insulation vary in thickness, but those of the same R-value should insulate your home equally.

• On average, the recommended R-value for basement insulation is R-12.

• The R-value of blown-in cellulose house insulation is 3.70 per inch; the R-value of expanded polystyrene house insulation is 4.00 per inch, and fiberglass house insulation is 3.14.

• Compressed insulation does not afford its full rated R-value.

• An inch of insulation is equivalent to 30 inches of concrete.

• The average R-value for house insulation changes depending on weather and temperature.

• The R-value in house insulation is considerably lower if your home has air or moisture/water leaks.

• When determining the R-value of a multi-layered installation, you must add the values of each layer. Installing extra insulation in your home will enhance the R-value and the resistance to heat flow.

The U.S. Department of Energy can help you choose the right insulation R-values for your home. Simply select your zone, heating system and where you plan to insulate and look for the matching R-value range.Air Assurance is proud to serve the residents of Oklahoma. We are happy to answer your questions concerning insulation and provide free estimates to you if you are interested in better insulating your home. We are always ready to provide the information you need to take better control of your home comfort.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information, click here. Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. To get started, check out our website or see our current promotions.