Heat can easily escape your home without proper insulation. Heat tends to escape out of your windows, doors, and attic. Energy efficient windows and doors have advanced technologies to help insulate your house. The most heat will escape out of your attic, so it is important that you have insulation installed by a professional.
R Value-Heat Flow
The R value and U value are reciprocals to each other.
Your home's resistance to heat flow is called the "R value". The higher that the R-value is the better insulation your home will have. The R value can be expressed in two different ways; total R value and R value per inch.
Total
Total R value is often used to describe a building's insulation. Buildings have many insulation features that all have different R values. These features include, but are not limited to; a wall with studs in it, siding, plywood sheathing, insulation and drywall.
There are multiple kinds of insulation that you could put in your house. All of these different kinds will give you a different R value that is measured in R value per inch. The different types of insulation are rigid foam board, fiberglass batt, cellulose, and spray foam insulation.
U Value-Heat Loss
The U value measures the rate at which your home loses heat. Your home can loose heat in four different ways; conduction, radiation, convection, and air leakage.
Conduction is the direct transfer of heat through the window to the outdoors.
Radiation is the movement of heat as infrared energy through the glass.
Convection occurs when air gives up its heat to the cooler glass and sinks toward the floor - this movement sucks new, warmer air toward the glass that is in turn cooled, creating a draft.
Air leakage is the passage of heated air through cracks and around weather-stripping.
The U value has a range from.25 - 1.25. A low U value like.25 indicates good insulation.
Keeping "U" in Control
Losing heat because of improper insulation can cost you money. Your heater / air conditioner will continue to run until your room reaches the temperature that you have set on your thermostat. Heat transfer in and out of your house will cause your heater/ air conditioner to run longer in order to make your room your desired temperature.
This problem can be eliminated with proper insulation. There will be less heat transfer, allowing your room to get to your desired temperature faster. This will ultimately decrease your monthly energy bills.
Recap:
Many homes have insulation, but nearly enough. It is important that you don't have too much insulation in your home because that can reduce your home's ventilation qualities. It is best to consult a certified insulation dealer before making a decision on the installation of insulation in your home.
Dr. Energy Saver Cleveland is your home insulation expert in the greater Cleveland area visit
