You’ve heard that you can have too much of a good thing, but does that count for insulation in your home too? What would be considered too much and what happens to your home if you do “over do it?” You can insulate every area of your home, one man even built his house entirely out of foam so we aren’t saying you can’t do it. But too much insulation can financially break you. It can also be bad for the environment and for your home. We’re here to help you find the perfect balance between too much and not enough. 

Just The Right Amount

Your Arkansas home needs to be insulated. We have wet, humid summers and cold, wet winters as well. If your home isn’t properly insulated, you will never be comfortable inside of your house. And the moisture that seems to constantly be in the Arkansas air will seep in and destroy your floors, walls, etc. If you’ve read our blogs, then it’s no secret that insulating your home will save you money down the road. However, if you over insulate you are just wasting your money on resources that are not being used.

R-Value

Have you heard of “R-Value?” According to The U.S. Department of Energy, “an insulating material’s resistance to conductive heat flow, measured or rated in terms of its thermal resistance or R-value — the higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness. The R-value depends on the type of insulation, its thickness, and its density. The R-value of some insulations also depends on temperature, aging, and moisture accumulation.”

Whenever you insulate your home, each layer of insulation works less and less hard. The first layer is doing the most insulating, and every layer after that doesn’t have to do as much. Almost like if you were to wear multiple sweaters and jackets on top of each other. The first sweater is what is covering you from the cold, and every sweater or jacket after that is protecting your skin less and less from the cold. Eventually to the point where the final layer may not be doing anything at all.

This is all to say, you may (most likely) need more than one layer of insulation in your home, but there comes a point where you have enough and do not need to keep adding to it. That is where we come in, as the experts, to tell you how much insulation your home needs so you are not wasting your money on more and more that may not even be needed.

Think About The Environment

We have discussed the environmental benefits of insulating your home in the past. Your home becomes more energy efficient whenever it is not having to work over time to heat or cool itself. Which in turn saves you money and helps the environment. 

With all good things, there seems to be a down side as well though. While your insulation saves energy down the road, it does take energy to be produced and installed. Based on how your insulation is made, natural resources and greenhouse gases can be used in the process. This isn’t a problem whenever you properly insulate because the energy you save down the road, outweighs the energy used to create and install insulation. However, if you over insulate your home, you are using more energy than you are saving. That is why there has to be  balance.

Too Much Moisture

The goal of insulation is to keep your house comfortable and free of moisture. If you begin to over insulate your home, there won’t be room for the walls to breathe. That means moisture can get stuck between all of the insulation and begin to mold. A homeowner’s worst nightmare is finding out there is mold in your walls. This can turn into a whole disaster on its own of having to completely remove walls and rebuild. 

Do I Have Too Much Insulation?

Insulation is a good thing. Majority of homes are under insulated, and rarely do we see a home that is overly insulated. Just like over insulating a home poses a world of problems, so does under insulating your home. Here at Reeves Insulation we can do an audit of your home and show you how you can save money on your home by insulating it properly. Give us a call today at 870-793-2623 or fill out this form to get your free quote. We are the spray foam experts and we’re here to help you save money and have the most energy efficient home possible.