Proper home insulation is essential to reduce the cost of cooling and heating your home. It also helps retain heat during colder months. Unfortunately, some homeowners neglect the importance of insulating their houses because it can be expensive and complex.
But did you know that it’s possible to insulate your home by yourself? With today’s availability of insulation materials in both local and online stores like raycore.com, home insulation can be your next do-it-yourself (DIY) project. To get started, here are the tips for DIY home insulation:
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1. Weatherize Your Home
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When insulating your home, one of the tips is to weatherize it, which can help you save more money and energy, making your house comfortable.
To weatherize your home, start by sealing air leaks. Remember that most energy in your house is lost due to air leaks.
Caulk all seams, cracks, and openings to the outside of your house and seal them. Once you’ve done it properly, you’ll be able to reduce your monthly heating and cooling bills by up to 20% by sealing air leaks.
Plus, it’s a cost-effective and fast way to improve your home insulation and boost your home’s energy efficiency and comfort.
2. Plug Your Chimney When Not In Use
Your heat consumption may increase when your fireplace is left open. If your chimney is just a decoration or you’re not using it often, consider blocking its hole to prevent heat loss.
One of the several ways to block your chimney is by using a chimney balloon. It’s cheap to buy and made from special laminate materials.
Typically, it works by inflating the balloon inside the chimney until it blocks the hole. When done correctly, it prevents incoming cold air and escaping of heat.
Other than a chimney balloon, you may also use chimney sheep, which are woolen chimney insulators.
You may also try old stuff and pillows to block your chimney hole. Just make sure to get rid of anything you put in the chimney hole before you start using your chimney.
3. Invest In Thick Curtains
Another DIY home insulation tip to keep in mind is the use of thick curtains. Purchase heavy curtains for your windows and doors to lessen heat loss.
You may also take advantage of the free heat from the sun during the daytime. Open your curtains and windows to let in sunlight. However, you should close the windows and draw curtains during nighttime to warm your interiors.
If you’re on a tight budget, you can opt for stick-on insulation for doors to keep your house warm and reduce your energy bills. Ensure your home has no air leaks to safeguard warm air or heat stays indoors.
4. Apply Window Films
If you’re not into thick curtains, there’s another way to insulate your home, and this done is by applying window films.
They can make a difference when insulating your windows. Moreover, a window is an excellent addition to double-pane or single-pane windows.
When you use your films, you’re adding an extra insulation layer, which costs less than installing new energy-efficient windows.
Like curtains, a window film works in both winter and summer to help reduce your home’s energy costs. It also comes in various opacities, which can help you decide how much light to let in.
5. Cover Your Floor
Covering your floor may help prevent heat from escaping. However, you have to note that two kinds of flooring are widely used: solid flooring and suspended flooring.
When it comes to solid flooring, it’s directly on the ground. On the contrary, suspended flooring is the one that’s raised off the ground.
While these types of flooring are different, they can cause heat loss when not appropriately insulated.
You may use spray expanding foam insulation or batt insulation between the joists for suspended flooring.
Also known as blanket insulation, batt insulation is one of the cheap and common ways of insulating walls, attics, ceilings, crawl spaces, and basements.
The materials can be manufactured from cotton, fiberglass, or stone wool. When installed correctly, batt insulation helps stop the transfer of heat and airflow.
6. Wrap Your Water Pipes
The other DIY home insulation tip you shouldn’t miss is wrapping your water pipes. More often than not, homeowners don’t think of insulating their water pipes. However, adding insulation to your hot water pipes is an excellent way to save on energy costs.
Pipe insulation helps keep you from losing the heat from your hot water. Once you keep your hot water warmer, you’ll use less energy and save more money in the long run.
Fortunately, various kinds of pipe insulation are available, regardless of the pipes you want to insulate. You can use pipe sleeves for more extended applications, which come in up to six feet.
You only need to wrap the rubber or foam tube around your hot water pipes and seal them using self-sealing adhesive.
For shorter piping lengths, you have plenty of choices. You may choose from cotton with foil backing and bubble film or flexible foam with rubber backing. Such kinds of pipe insulation are easy to install, like pipe sleeves.
7. Get A Blanket For Your Water Heater
While it’s practical to insulate your hot water pipes, you can also insulate your water heater. This is made possible by using a blanket.
It’s not a blanket you use in your bedroom, but a specialized water heater blanket. It works by trapping the heat in, keeping your water warm, and enabling you to have savings.
Like bed blankets, water heater blankets come in different materials. You can find a water heater blanket made from denim and fiberglass.
It also comes with varying insulation R-value, which measures the material’s capacity to resist heat flow. To know what blanket is best for your water heater, you should keep the climate and location of your unit in mind.
Conclusion
There are various ways to insulate your home. Even if some insulation methods are mostly done by professionals and are expensive, you can try the above DIY tips for home insulation.
Just make sure to know when to call for professionals and when to do it on your own. This way, you’ll be able to insulate your home effectively.
Moreover, it allows you to enjoy the perks of a well-insulated home without the need to worry about causing damage to your property.