Do You Need New Attic Insulation? Look For These 3 Signs

Insulation is one of several key components of your home that keeps it cool during the blazing summer and cool during the freezing winter. Having insulation in good condition will contribute to lowering your cooling and heating bills, and protect your home against moisture. Unfortunately, insulation doesn't last forever. The material does degrade, and there will come a time where you need to replace it. Look for these 3 signs to determine if you need new insulation in your attic.

Your Utility Bills Increase

If your attic's insulation is not doing its job, your furnace and air conditioning will need to work harder than normal to regulate the temperature of your home. This is not always apparent unless you compare your utility bills. Take a look at how much energy you were using last year compared to this year. If the increase is notable, and you haven't changed your normal thermostat settings, it could be from poor insulation.

Smart thermostats are a way to monitor your daily usage throughout a season, since you can see exactly how much your HVAC system is working. A smart thermostat can even record this information for you to make it easy to compare, and let you know what your energy usage is like when compared to other homes in your area.

Your Roof Has Ice And Water Damage

Large icicles can be a sign that you have poor insulation. This is because your roof could have sections where the insulation has failed, and it doesn't do as great of a job keeping the heat inside. That portion of your roof will get warmer than normal, melt snow, and form large icicles on the roof when the water freezes again towards the bottom.

The icicles cause damage to the shingles and gutters, while the poor insulation will suffer from condensation that soaks into it. If insulation is wet, it will be less effective.

Your Insulation Fails A Visual Inspection

If you have any doubts about your insulation, you can always go into your attic and measure it. The insulation should information printed on the back that says how thick it should be. Use your yardstick for measuring the depth of the insulation. If it does not meet the minimum requirements, then the insulation is not doing its job and needs replacement.

Once you know for sure that you need new insulation, you can have an insulation contractor like Combat Foam Insulation Inc come to your home to replace the insulation for you.

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