FAQ’s

Most people will tell you “because heat rises” , this is some what of a misnomer because hot air rises. What a lot of home owners don’t know is that heat is drawn towards cold. In the summer having enough insulation in your attic helps keep that nice cool air in your home from being heated by the hot air in your attic and in the winter it keeps that nice warm air in your house from being cooled by the cold air in the attic.

Simply put it means with adequate attic insulation your home is going to be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. It also means your utility bills will be lower so more money in your pocket each month. As well as increased comfort in your home.

No matter what kind of insulation you currently have in your attic, one quick way to determine if you need more is to look across the span of your attic. If your insulation is just level with or below your floor joists (i.e., you can easily see your joists), you should add more. Current code of R-38 is about 13.8 inches but Energy Star recommends an R-49 for our area.

We use high quality blow-in loose-fill fiberglass insulation for most of our jobs because it helps keep our clients cost down and over time it doesn’t settle like cellulose does. But not every attic is the same, some attics it is best to insulate with batts, some polyiso foam board (like RMAX ridged foam) and yet others with a dense pack product. As with each aspect of our company we want to do what is best for our client so that if you need something else we do that you don’t hesitate to give us a call to get help with it. Wonder what would be best for your home? Give us a call and we can come out and look at it for you free of charge.

Great we would be glad to come out and tell you what you need to do. When we take a look we figure out what you have and what you need including ventilation, damming, air sealing, baffling, VPAB (vapor permeable air barrier), and any other things that may be needed for what you want to do. Now don’t be to surprised when we give you a bid to do it and its actually less than you can do it for your self.

There are quite a few programs out there to help with insulating your home and we try to keep on top of any new programs that come out to help you. One that a lot of people in the Portland area are familiar with and you may be too is Energy Trust of Oregon. What most people don’t realize is there are lots of programs with in even just that one. To name a few that we participate in: Savings Within Reach, Mobes (mobile home free insulation program), On-Bill, Existing homes, Salem Weatherwise, SHOW and many more.

Many homes throughout the Pacific Northwest have what are commonly referred to as crawlspaces. Crawlspaces are open spaces underneath a portion of a home. They are very common in areas with high moisture content in the soil. The insulation goes against the floor of the home but that’s not all that needs to be done to achieve a proper install.

One of our Professional Technicians will help you determine what you will need to get your crawlspace insulated properly. This process includes: Identifying the type of crawlspace you have, what type of insulation materials are best suited for your application, determining how much insulation you’ll need, and key components to help ensure you’ll achieve a well insulated and healthy crawlspace.

Crawlspaces can cause problems if they are not properly insulated and sealed. For instance, some crawlspaces contain water pipes which can freeze and burst or they may contain under insulated or bare heating and air conditioning ducts which can waste costly energy. Insulating the crawlspace can help prevent this from occurring. Also, an under insulated or bare crawlspace can make the floor and the home above it colder in winter and hotter in the summer, affecting the comfort of the homes inhabitants. Therefore, if your home has a crawlspace, call to have us do a free audit to determine if it is insulated or if it is in great shape.