Preparing Your Home For Winter

We are all familiar with weather issues since Canada is known for tough winters. Second affected by winter, after our health, happens to be our house and since we live in it these two components mostly affect our health: winter and the condition of our home during winter.

As a season with high moisture levels, winter is when we mostly notice mold, high utility bills, damages, etc. Our house, without any arguments, is the place we have to take care of the most. It is where we spend a considerable amount of time, where we raise our children and without a doubt, it has to be as healthy as possible.

Before winter strikes, there are plenty of areas to be seen and checked by professionals to make sure our house is in the right conditions to handle winter. By considering the state of your house before winter, and by putting a bit of effort into fixing areas of damage you are free of unexpected expenses during the winter.

In this article, we are going to mention some key points on what you can do to shape up your house for winter.

Is your house insulated?

If you don’t have much information about Insulation find out the importance of insulation or contact us HERE and book your insulation service. If your house has been insulated years ago, it might have gotten old and if you plan on replacing the insulation, it might be a good idea to do it before winter.

Old insulation needs to be replaced.

Certain spaces within the home have minimal traffic from occupants and, if left untouched, could become a haven for elements from the outside. Attic insulation is sometimes an afterthought when building a home and poor or lack of material could leave holes and openings for insects and animals to enter and wreak havoc. Installing spray foam insulation fills all holes and crevices that prevent outside agents from entering the home. Controlling and preventing the entrance of air, moisture, critters and sounds will enhance the quality of life for residents as well as reduce home operating costs.

Some signs your insulation needs to be replaced include:

• The age of your home

Insulation is an easy factor to be forgotten and this is why older homes tend to have insufficient or damaged insulation. Some old types of insulation even contain dangerous substances like asbestos. If it’s been 20+ years since your last insulation installation, you must consider to re-insulate your house. Insulations older than 20 years probably don’t have enough insulation to protect your home from exterior temperature and the insulation material used back then, can be consumed or out of shape.

• Water damage

If you had water damage in your home, you will find a lot of hidden damages. One of these damages, especially in the case of a long-time stand of water, is insulation. Water in your home always brings problems - it compresses and damages insulation, making it inefficient and sometimes useless, and it’s the key ingredient in mold growth too. If you are restoring the roof before winter, it is also time to change your insulation.

• Pests

Pests are a really big concern for old insulation. Uninvited guests of the four, six, and eight-legged variety can damage the insulation by going through it and with years of pests among insulation it gets weak and unable to protect your house. Dead pests leave behind something even more unpleasant and unsanitary. If you notice continual sounds, noises or activity in the attic, it’s best to get rid of them and have your insulation assessed as soon as possible.

• High utility bills

One of the biggest complaints that our customers share with us is their heating and cooling bills - and this is a problem that can be greatly reduced by inserting or replacing old insulation. If your insulation is old or damaged, there’s also a lot of air leakage going on in your home, so you end up with high bills.

• Drafts

If your conditioned air is escaping your home, it means that there are drafts, and air can also come INTO your home. This results in hot or cool spots and drafty rooms. Adding insulation to your house often completely eliminates these problems.

1- Insulate your Attic - Neglecting the Attic is Neglecting Your Entire Home

In unfinished attic spaces, insulate between and over the floor joists to seal off living spaces below. If the air distribution is in the attic space, then consider insulating the rafters to move the distribution into the conditioned space. In finished attic rooms with or without dormer, insulate between the studs of the walls, between the studs and rafters of exterior walls and roof, and ceilings with cold spaces above.

Building a house is not as simple as constructing four walls and laying brick around it. Many design features are built into the layout to improve efficiency and protect the inside while keeping outside elements from coming in. At EcoStar Insulation, attic insulation isn’t just about adding or removing insulation. The attic and roof cavity are considered a “system” – and that means blocking airflow (the air barrier), stopping moisture from gathering (the vapor barrier), and ensuring appropriate levels of ventilation and air circulation. In short, the “system” gets properly sealed, properly insulated, and properly ventilated. Crawlspaces and attics are not just "dead space". They serve important functions in the overall livability of the home. Unrestricted airflow and unintended moisture can result from faulty and non-functioning attic insulation and can cause a variety of efficiency and quality of life problems for homeowners. Attics and crawl spaces that are not maintained will end up costing more in the short and long term. On every project, EcoStar installers work to code, without taking any shortcuts and following the manufacturer’s product specifications. The job is done right from the start.

2- Insulate your garage

You may notice that the room above the garage is colder than the others. If you did, and you don’t have an insulated garage then you are right! But if you do have insulation in your garage then it must be old insulation and it has been damaged with time.

Garage Insulation Benefits:

1. A Reduced Carbon Footprint
2. An Effective Moisture Barrier
3. A Long-Term Solution

You may be planning to utilize the garage space more often for personal or business purposes. In this case, insulating the walls and the ceiling may be in your advantage. This is an effective solution that makes the garage a better area for the whole family. You will find it way more comfortable if you want a garage to spend time on.

• Insulate the ceiling of the garage

If your garage is not a functional space, and you don’t have the budget to insulate the entire space, you might consider insulating the ceiling. This won’t let the cold affect the temperature of the above living space and it has noise control properties.

What material to use for home insulation?

The most common materials used for insulation are spray foam, fiberglass, and foam board. The one with the highest percentage of protection is Spray foam and we can tell by our experience of 10 years operating in the field.

Why choose us?

We at EcoStar Insulation strive to provide the best quality products and the highest standard of expertise. Our service includes a free consultation with an estimator where you have the opportunity to discuss application, products and design options available for your project. Our team will guide you from the consultation to the execution stage. Contact us for your free estimate.