How to Know When Your Home is Poorly Insulated

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    How to Know When Your Home is Poorly Insulated

    If your property isn’t adequately insulated your home is rapidly losing heat, one of the best ways to improve your energy rating is to install high quality insulating products in your walls, ceilings and floors. But knowing whether your premises is properly insulated can be difficult, here are some signs to look out for when evaluating the efficiency of your home.

    • Inspect the Attic

    Having tightly packed, evenly fitted insulating foil in your attic is essential. Heat always rises, so the main place it escapes in your premises is through the attic. If this area is properly insulated, heat will have no other option than to circulate back down around your home rather than disperse through the roof. The heat that is redirected through your home is what helps to keep you and your family warm.

    When examining your attic, you should check the floor, walls, and ceiling. If you’ve wooden boards down on your attic floor, which is common in most homes, you may notice that light is gleaming through the cracks. This is an obvious sign that your floor isn’t adequately insulated and needs attention. Attending to your floor is the first line of defence against a poorly insulated attic, when you finish with this area, you must check the walls and ceiling.

    • Noticeably Cold

    If you’ve just come from a friend or family’s home and you enter your premises, only to be met with a cold, icy atmosphere, it could be an indicator that your property is poorly insulated. Although most places will be cool when no one has been in them for a period of time, your home still shouldn’t be freezing when you leave. If it feels just as cold inside as it does outside, it’s a sign you need to reinforce your insulation.

    Another tell-tale sign you’ve inadequate insulation is when you turn off your heating and your home doesn’t retain the warmth from the radiators. A well-insulated building should easily trap heat, even after you’ve turned off your home heating system.

    • Rising Energy Bills

    High energy bills can also be an indicator of poor insulation, if you compare previous bills to your current ones, you may find that your home isn’t as efficient as previous years. Most people don’t have old utility bills lying around the house, so another way of checking could be to compare your bills with a family member or friend. If they have the same number of occupants and their house is similar in size, you can check how much they pay to their monthly energy provider. If you’re constantly having to use your heater, you must consider installing a high-quality product like bubble foil insulation. Check your home if you notice your bills gradually rising.

    A lot of homeowners overlook their insulation, they tend to forget about the importance of having a grade A product in their home and the multiple benefits it brings. If you notice any of the signs mentioned above, it is time to inspect your insulation. If it is insufficient, you should take measures to improve it.

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    Written by Jenson Phillips

    Hi, I'm Jenson. Father of two and living with OCD, read my musings on coping with both and maybe pick up some advice for yourself.