Kelly Ohlmus / Thursday, September 29, 2016 / Categories: Project Advice & Ideas Home Insulation Can Save You Thousands And Improve Your Life! We walk you through just why its a good idea to insulate your house. If you speak to one of our Insulation Contractors members, you'll probably learn that insulation is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to make your property more energy efficient - with the added benefit of improving your standard of living at the same time! Given the facts, it's strange that many homeowners have yet to invest in insulation - relying on central heating and the Irish weather to keep their homes warm instead. Let's face it, with the latter in mind especially, that strategy is not only expensive but also a little bit mad! Insulation, in simple terms, can act as a barrier against both heat loss and heat gain - particularly in walls, ceilings, floors, and roofs. In other words, it keeps your home at the temperature that you want it to be at - without forcing you to spend all your savings on your heating bills! There are a number of Home Insulation types and methods that you can employ, but here are the most common: Attic or loft insulation Cavity Wall insulation External Wall insulation Acoustic Insulation You can get free quotes for any home insulation project right here. And here's the why... Insulation Improves Energy Efficiency AND Saves You Money Insulation makes your home more energy efficient. Fact. It also improves the BER rating of your home, the legal measure of how energy efficient it is. While this improved efficiency heightens internal comfort, and chases away structural problems like dampness and mould, its most tangible benefit is the BIG savings it delivers to homeowners. Don't just take our word for it - the SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) has measured the savings and compared the running costs of energy-efficient homes (Good BER) against those with poor insulation and heating controls (weak BER). We've summarised the findings in the table below : ESTIMATED HOME RUNNING COSTS COMPARISON BASED ON BER RATING TABLE* BER RATING 2 BED APARTMENT (Area 75 m²) 3 BED SEMI-D ( Area 100m²) DETACHED HOUSE (Area 200m²) A1 €140 €190 €400 C1 €800 €1,100 €2,200 G €3,000 €4,000 €7,900 * Figures based on the SEAI indicative annual CO2 emissions and running costs for different rating bands for space and water heating. That equates to a potential saving of up to € 3,810 for a 3 Bed Semi-Detached home per year! That is a lot of money. So what are you waiting for? Get an insulation quote now Home Insulation Adds Value To Your Home Every home that is sold or rented in Ireland must have a Building Energy Rating (BER). Essentially this measures the energy efficiency of your home on a scale of A -> G, with an A-rated home being the most energy efficient. Insulation is key to improving your home's BER. See the above for the comparisons. Home buyers, Banks and prospective tenants for rentals now all factor in a property's BER before they purchase/approve a mortgage/rent. So if your home has good insulation it will improve its overall BER and make your home a much more attractive proposition. Increasing the value of your asset and your potential net worth. Not at all a bad investment to make. Get an insulation quote now Insulation Reduces Noise (and improves sleep) In this day and age of mindfulness / improved quality of life, we're going to great lengths to improve our well-being. But nothing compensates for a good night's sleep. Sometimes that's a hard thing to get with all the noise... Certain insulation types have the added benefit of providing acoustic insulation. This means dampening or eliminating outside noise from passing traffic, neighbours and other sources. When installed throughout the walls, ceilings, and floors, insulation helps to absorb some of the excess vibrations that causes sound, meaning that the noise you get inside is significantly muffled - a perfect environment for that better night's sleep. Too tired to call an insulation company? Get a fast & free insulation quote here :-) Insulation Improves Condensation Control Because insulation helps to reduce the chances that your home will be exposed to rapid changes in temperature, maintaining your ideal temperature throughout the property, it helps to lower your chances of excess condensation building up in various parts of your home. Most people don't realise that their roof or ceiling is just as capable of being exposed to condensation as a window or piece of metal when the temperature on the surface of the roof is at or below the dew point within the air it is in contact with. Less moisture within your property means fewer risks that the wood support frames and other structural aspects of your home that might be vulnerable to mould and rot will become damaged or weakened over time. In other words, you spend less money on repairs and benefit from a more structurally-sound house - just because you installed insulation. How bad. Have you gotten a quote yet? Insulation Helps the Environment Finally, insulation can help you to significantly reduce your carbon footprint, simply because it prompts you to use less energy year in, year-out. This means that fewer fossil fuels are consumed, and you get to help the earth, without compromising on the comfort of your family. So you feel a little bit better about yourself... A lot of the insulation material that professionals will install for you today can actually be made according to environmentally friendly standards - which means that the processes used to create the insulation and dispose of it when you decide to update your choices, don't have a negative impact on the eco-system. If the job of insulating your property is too much for you to handle alone - which is often the case for untrained individuals, you can always get a quote from a professional insulation contractor. Often, you'll find that this particular job pays for itself, over time. I swear to God, sometimes its like blood from a stone from these punters. Home Improvement Tips - Micro House Renovation Ideas that won't break the bank! Print 111 Rate this article: No rating Please login or register to post comments.