Properly insulating your Huntington, WV, home will reduce outside noise, improve comfort, and protect indoor air quality (IAQ). It will also boost the efficiency and performance of your HVAC system. Read on to find out how.
Adequate Insulation Promotes Temperature Stability
Insulation creates an additional barrier between the interior of your home and the outside environment. Quality insulation makes it easier for homeowners to create and maintain indoor climates that are vastly different from the conditions outdoors. If your home doesn’t have sufficient insulation or if your insulation isn’t well-rated, much of the conditioned air that your HVAC system produces could be escaping.
Drafty and poorly insulated rooms can let outdoor heat in during the summer months and warm conditioned air out in winter. Adding insulation will tighten your home’s envelope. This way, your heater and air conditioner won’t have to work as hard. Instead, they’ll run shorter heating and cooling cycles and fewer of them.
Prevent Hot and Cold Spots with Insulation
Standard central HVAC systems offer uniform temperature control. With each heating and cooling cycle, these systems should create roughly the same temperature in all building areas. Unfortunately, if your home has major air leaks, this might not be the case. If you have conditioned air escaping from specific areas of your home, these spaces will always feel much different from the others.
Adding more insulation will allow for even and consistent temperatures throughout your residence. It will also decrease overall HVAC-related energy consumption. According to the United States Department of Energy, HVAC-related energy use often accounts for nearly half the typical home energy bill. Thus, your month-to-month savings could be substantial.
Improved Indoor Air Quality
Insulation improves indoor air quality by blocking the influx of unfiltered outdoor air. However, IAQ improvements also contribute to higher levels of HVAC efficiency. With a higher IAQ, you’ll have:
- Less debris coating your air filter
- Fewer build-ups in your HVAC air ducts
- Cleaner AC or heat pump coils
- Cleaner air registers, vents, and grilles
- Better airflow and air distribution
Maintaining a consistently high IAQ promotes excellent HVAC performance, longer filter lifespans, and lower home energy bills. There are also many added IAQ benefits of better insulating your home, including better humidity control, fewer unpleasant HVAC-related odors, reduced operating noise, and decreased allergies.
Extend the Lifespans of Your Heater and AC
With fewer and shorter heating and cooling cycles, fewer internal build-ups of airborne debris, and balanced airflow, HVAC systems operate under less stress and have longer lifespans. Not only does this save homeowners money by delaying the need for heating and cooling replacement, but it also gives them the benefit of excellent, early-life efficiency for far longer.
As a matter of course, all heating and cooling systems lose efficiency as they age. In fact, it’s estimated that many heaters, heat pumps, and ACs lose nearly half of their efficiency after just 10 years of service. Thus, the efficiency rating that your HVAC equipment had when first installed isn’t necessarily reflective of its current efficiency. When you extend the lifespan of your heating and cooling equipment by installing adequate insulation, you delay age-related wear and keep it performing like new for longer.
Prevent Unwarranted Thermostat Adjustments
With a well-insulated and more comfortable home and no extremely hot or cold spots, you’ll also have fewer unwarranted thermostat adjustments. If you have a hard time with family members or guests cranking your thermostat way up or way down when you’re away, adding more insulation or choosing insulation with a higher R-value should solve the problem.
Balance Airflow and Air Delivery
HVAC air balancing services regulate airflow, air delivery, and static pressure within ducting. Air balancing limits HVAC system stress, reduces energy consumption, and contributes to higher air quality. During air balancing, our technicians adjust duct damper and air vent positions. We also optimize blower motor fan speeds and seal off air leaks. Adding insulation to homes with loose, leaky envelopes is a great way to balance air and reduce energy consumption.
Residents of Huntington, West Virginia can count on us for expert heating, air conditioning, and indoor air quality services, including both humidifiers and dehumidifiers. To find out more about improving your HVAC system’s efficiency with insulation or to sign up for our HVAC preventative maintenance plan, get in touch with Variable Comfort Solutions today.
