If you want to make your home more energy-efficient, adding some additional insulation to the walls can make a significant difference. The insulation you add can be different depending on whether the walls are open or if you are adding insulation to a finished home.

Insulating Open Walls

Installing insulation in areas of your home that still have open walls like the attic or parts of the home that are under renovation is the easiest way to improve the energy efficiency of the house. Fiberglass insulation is available in different thicknesses that can be unrolled, cut to length, and added to the walls between the studs. 

If you buy insulation with a paper or foil backing, it can be put in place then stapled to the studs so it stays in place and does not sag over time. Some of these insulations also have a vapor barrier already on them. Still, if they do not, it is good to add plastic to the wall before installing the wallboard or other material going on the wall. This is especially important if the wall you are insulating is an exterior wall. 

The amount of insulation you need for the wall you are insulating depends on several things like the wall thickness, how cold it gets in your area, and what the building code dictates. If you are not sure how much insulation to add or don't want to do the work, you could opt to work with a wall insulation service or contractor to handle the project for you. 

Blown-In Insulation

Adding insulation to a finished home can be a little more difficult because you most likely will not have access to the inside of the walls. You may want to consider some options, but one of the most popular is hiring a wall insulation service or a contractor that can add blown-in insulation to your home. 

Cellulose in isolation is the most common material used. It is made from eighty percent recycled newsprint that is shredded and coated with a fire retardant material that resists burning and works to keep many pests out of the walls of the home. The R-value of cellulose is higher than some other materials so that it can add significant insulation to your home.

The cellulose material is safe for human contact, and the wall insulation contractor can drill holes in the outside of the home that allows them to fill the space in the walls with this material. Once the insurance is in the wall, the contractor will plug the holes and set them to keep water out then reinstall any siding removed from the outside of the home. 

Reach out to a wall insulation service to learn more.

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