Considering the current energy crisis and growing environmental concerns, installing effective home insulation ought to be a requirement. Not only is it the best way to prevent heat loss in the winter and retain cool air in the summer, but it’ll also save you money in the long run as it’ll reduce your energy consumption. If you want to prepare your home for the warmer spring and summer days to come, below are a few tips to help you choose the most effective home insulation:
Let your climate zone determine your home insulation
To reduce demand for additional heating and cooling, the SANS 10400-XA building laws were published, stipulating minimum R-values for roofing insulation according to the various climate zones. If you’d like to reduce your reliance on heating and cooling measures, have a look at the map of climate zones found on Annex A in this document. This will allow you to ensure that the insulation you want to install has the correct insulation value to handle the heating and cooling requirements of your particular climate zone.
Thicker insulation is the most effective
If you’re living in Johannesburg, Pretoria, or the Western Cape you’ll need insulation that is at least 135mm thick. This lowers to 100mm in a humid climate such as KwaZulu-Natal. Although the ceiling insulation price will increase depending on the thickness of the product, it’s best to purchase thicker insulation to ensure effective insulation.
Do your research before choosing home insulation
You should also consider that certain products such as Cellulose insulation compress a few months after insulation, which lowers the R-value and reduces its effectiveness. Make a point to ask the insulation company whether their chosen insulation will settle over time and if the selected thickness will then compensate for this compression. Certain insulation could also add more value to a home than others. For example, Isotherm has become very popular in South Africa because it’s made of recycled plastic bottles and is entirely non-allergenic.
Choosing the correct home insulation will help you sell
Ceiling insulation has become a standard feature. So, should you decide to install popular, high-quality insulation products in your home, don’t forget to mention this to your real estate professional so that they can market your home with this additional desirable feature. Sometimes it’s these additional features that will help you sell your home.
