Insulation is one of the smartest investments you can make in your home because it provides year-round comfort and savings. Properly insulating is more cost-effective than adding energy efficient windows or other improvements.

Lower energy bills
Insulation keeps your home warmer in the winter, which lowers your heating costs. In the summer, insulation keeps your home cooler, which eases the load on your air conditioner. Heating and cooling systems consume most of the energy used in the average American home. You’ll save on your energy costs if you reduce the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling.

Quieter, more comfortable living
Adding insulation not only helps lower energy bills, it will help keep your home more consistently comfortable. Insulation can actually absorb sound, reducing the unwanted noise from appliances, audio equipment, conversation and other sources of sound that are transmitted through your walls and floors. Insulation also keeps your family more comfortable by making it easier for your furnace or air conditioner to maintain a constant temperature.

Why add insulation to your home
Adding insulation and sealing air leaks is the single most cost-effective way to make your home more energy efficient. In many homes, attic insulation levels are minimal at best. That’s because homebuilders install minimal levels of insulation in order to keep building costs low. Add to this the fact that older insulation tends to settle over time and it become clear that your home probably needs better insulation. Even in a newer home, additional insulation will save enough money in reduced utility bills to pay for itself.

For minimal energy savings, you should have at least 15 inches (R-38) of insulation in your attic. The R-value rating refers to the insulation’s thermal resistance – its ability to resist heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness.

Two more places that are easy to insulate are crawl spaces and basements. If these areas of your home are not insulated or are under-insulated, this is the year to take care of it. You’ll get a tax credit, and lower your energy bills for the life of your home.