Have You Checked Your Insulation Lately???

Posted by V.K. [Mel] Melhado P.A. on Tuesday, May 1st, 2007 at 6:14am.

Sometimes living in Florida, we tend to forget the importance of insulation in our home or one we are contemplating purchasing, because we equate insulation with loss of heat and not air. Although in most cases we have the home inspected prior to purchase, this is an area that goes unchecked, and with the high cost of energy today, it is extremely important to look at it. The most important thing to be aware of with insulation, other than the safety issues of urea formaldehyde and asbestos is the R value, or the insulating factor. The higher the number, the better the insulator, and there are new forms of insulation that can not only act as a moisture sealant, but a structural supporter as well. Don’t be too shocked if the insulation in a 15 year or older home isn’t the same or near the R value of a new home. As a matter of fact, it can be considerably different! While there is no question that you could be saving on the air conditioning bills by adding more insulation, you also need to factor in the amount of time that you plan to own the home. Sometimes it can take years and years to recover the cost of having insulation blown in or however it is being done. It is often prudent to have FPL (Florida Power & Light) or whoever your gas or power company might be to see if they have any financial incentive program or grant available to boost your insulation. You also might want to look to the inspector of a home that you are considering purchasing to check on the insulation and for recommendations, even though they don’t normally look at that area.