Have you checked the insulation in your attic lately? It is not a place where most of us would like to spend much time, but if you can see the top of the ceiling joists above the insulation, then there’s a good chance that it is inadequate and you could be wasting money cooling and heating your home. The federal guidelines for the amount of insulation recommended for homes in Texas have recently changed, and now is a good time to see if your insulation meets the new recommendations.
Insulation is measured by R-value, which stands for thermal resistance. The more effectively the material blocks heat flow, the higher the R-value will be.
The U.S. Department of Energy has performed research to determine what the optimum R-values are for different parts of the country. In the Corpus Christi area, it recommends an R-value for insulation in the attic of at least 38 for homes with gas heat and 49 for homes with electric heat. These figures are more than double what the government recommended just 10 years ago.
When you put more insulation into your home, you will be saving money in the long run. The cost of adding the insulation can be recovered through the savings on your utility bills in the summer and winter both. There are also significant tax credits and rebates that are available to people who make an effort to conserve energy.
The experts at Mathews CCAC Air Conditioning can help you determine your R-value, as well as answer any questions you have about whether your home is properly insulated. We’re always happy to help.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Mathews CCAC Air Conditioning and Heating services Corpus Christi, TX. To get started, check out our website.