When homeowners want to improve their home, they usually want to improve their homes efficiency to save energy.
Loft insulation is a great way to improve your home's energy efficiency. This is an easy task that can be done as a DIY project or as a professional installation. There are several options for the actual insulation: Non-Itchy mineral wool, natural wool or a mixture of wool and cellulose that is blown in.
· Putting insulation in your loft helps to keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
· This is improving the efficiency of both your air conditioner and your furnace and that means lower heating and cooling bills.
· Loft insulation works by trapping air. The layer of trapped air is a great insulator.
· Another benefit of the loft insulation is that it restricts air flow and reduces drafts. It keeps the air you have paid money to either cool or warm in the area that you live in, not up above your ceiling.
· While some home improvements add value to your home by creating both curb appeal and a decrease in energy consumption, the loft insulation is invisible.
Do it yourself guide-
Loft insulation is a onetime project; it does not wear out or lose its effectiveness. It is installed above the ceiling and rolled or blown between the joists. This is what makes the installation a little tricky for a do it yourselfer.
Most homes have an access panel you can climb through using a ladder. Once through the access port, be careful only to step on the joists or you may go through the ceiling below. You can lay planks across the joists to create a make shift walkway.
1. Once you have access, simple roll the insulation in place. The insulation comes in rolls that fit neatly between the joists.
2. An easy alternative to mineral wool is polystyrene panels. These are easy to maneuver and also fit neatly between joists.
3. For the do it yourselfer, the polystyrene panels are undoubtedly the easiest to install. For a professional installation, the blown in insulation is probably the fastest.
4. This project as a DIY should probably be completed in a weekend with a little help. A pro can usually blow insulation in, in about a day. Either way, allow yourself some cleanup time.
5. The blown material can be a little messy and the polystyrene can leave small white bits all through your workspace.
6. The mineral wool is less likely to create a mess, but as it is manufactured from spun glass fibers, heavy gloves are a must. In addition to temperature control, a nice side effect of loft insulation is outside noise reduction.
7. This helps keep your home a little quieter during storms and heavy street traffic. Doing this project will save you money.
8. The work is hidden above your ceiling, so if you are not that neat, no one will ever know. As long as you get the insulation in between the joists without gapping, it will be effective.
This home improvement may be made a little sweeter because of government grants or tax credits that can help fund your project. Your utility company may also have programs in place to assist homeowners in placing loft insulation in their homes.
By adding loft insulation, you have increased the value of your home by increasing its efficiency. You will be living in a more comfortable home both summer and winter, and you may find you have a little extra money due to lower energy bills. You might even have a little peace of mind that you are reducing your carbon footprint and doing a little something for the environment.
