Many people make resolutions to improve their health on New Year’s Eve. This makes sense, as we all spend a very large part of December eating things that are primarily made out of butter.But you don’t have to commit yourself to drinking kale smoothies and beating the belt of a treadmill everyday. We advise a far less exhausting but equally rewarding resolution instead: updating your property’s insulation. Whether your residential, commercial or agricultural property would be better served by batt, spray foam or blown insulation, the NIJAC team is standing by to help you realize all the advantages of replacing your old and worn out layer of insulation with a brand new one!
New Insulation Prevents Health Issues
Several older types of insulation contain substances that can be harmful to your health. Most people are already aware that asbestos insulation can cause cancer – the reason why it was banned in 1989. If your property was built before 1990 and has vermiculite (aka Zonolite) insulation, then you can reasonably assume it is contaminated with asbestos.
Urea formaldehyde foam (UFF) is another obsolete type of insulation that is potentially harmful. UFF was banned in 1982 once the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission determined that its curing process emits vaporized formaldehyde – a chemical that causes irritation of the respiratory system, skin rashes and shortness of breath.
Even fiberglass insulation can adversely affect your health once it has become wet. Although black mold cannot eat fiberglass, it can grow inside of it. If the fungus is allowed to spread throughout the property, it may produce sufficient mycotoxins to exacerbate allergies and asthma symptoms, irritate the eyes and skin, and cause headaches and nosebleeds.
New Insulation Reduces Energy Bills
The R-value of any type of insulation is destined to decrease over time. Below-grade insulation is especially vulnerable to becoming damp, but moisture can render insulation less effective no matter which level of the property it was installed in. The chemicals insulation is made of will inevitably begin to deteriorate over time, and dirt, dust, insects, ultraviolet light and regular wear and tear can only accelerate the process.
This will likely come as no surprise to you, but a building with upgraded insulation is necessarily better at retaining heat during winter and coolth during summer. A homeowner can save 15% on heating and cooling bills simply by adding more insulation to their attic, basement and crawl space. Homeowners in colder climates who take those same measures can easily save 20%. Even if your building was constructed recently, additional insulation installation will pay for itself within a few years.
New Insulation Improves Acoustics
Sound travels by vibrating air molecules. When a sound wave encounters a poorly insulated wall, it traverses the gap and proceeds to the interior of the building. But when the sound wave encounters a barrier of thick insulation, it gets easily absorbed by the material.
Different types of insulation offer varying degrees of sound absorption. Open cell spray foam is particularly effective at deadening sound, which makes it an ideal insulation for homes and businesses situated alongside busy roads. But regardless of which insulation you choose, you can rightly expect to enjoy a quieter living space or workspace. And insulation doesn’t just shield the interior of a building against sound coming from outdoors – it also noticeably reduces interior noise as well!
New Insulation Protects Against Insects
Once it has sufficiently deteriorated, old insulation provides ample passageways and breeding grounds for cockroaches, millipedes and silverfish. Cockroaches can even eat certain types of insulation – an impressive ability, albeit a frustrating one for property owners.
Replacing or adding insulation inside your building won’t just create a barrier against pests. It will also actively deter them, as many newer insulation products are treated with boric acid – a chemical that coats a bug’s body and poisons it the next time it grooms itself. And although cockroaches and other insects can burrow through modern spray foam insulation, they will not eat it. Even if they tried, the borate within the foam would quickly kill them. (Serves them right.)
New Insulation Provides Greater Comfort
The last benefit of new insulation we’ll include is far from its least. If you inhabit or work in the building you reinsulate, you’re certain to experience greater comfort all year long. Drafts, uneven temperatures and hot and cold spots will all become unfond memories once you have welcomed an insulation professional into your property.NIJAC Roofing & Insulation is standing by to be your insulation professional. We’re proudly headquartered in Sioux Falls, SD, but we serve our commercial, industrial and agricultural clients nationwide. If you would like to learn more about how we can protect you against heat, cold, insects, excessive noise, health issues and needlessly high energy bills, then we welcome you to contact us today