Barrier Insulation Blog - Page 4 of 5 -

Energy Smart Homes in Phoenix

A common sense guide for saving energy

With cooling and heating being some of the largest factors on our electricity bill each month having energy smart homes in Phoenix is a must. At its most basic level, shelter is meant to keep the elements away from us. That’s not just the rain and snow, but the cold and heat. We all know that some people still live in igloos, or huts in the desert climates. Here in Phoenix we have become ever so slightly more sophisticated. This means that having energy efficient homes comes down to more than keeping the door closed. It takes planning in material planning for the construction of your home and improvement as these materials wears out.

Designed For Energy Efficiency

If you’re building a new home you’ve probably been dreaming of all the amenities. Things like those vaulted ceilings, picture windows, and rainstorm showers. With all utilities on the rise diverting some of the savings or building planning budget towards more energy efficient designs will pay you back each and every year to come.

New technology is coming out all the time as builders and manufacturers are constantly trying to have the upper hand. Better UV glass windows, additional panes in the windows and better insulation materials all mean lower energy costs in our Phoenix homes.

Energy Efficient Site Planning

Assuming that you’re doing a new build home, you might have enough room on your plot of land to decide how the house will sit and where. One of the biggest decisions you have to make is which windows will be facing South, or the rising sun. Many home owners are up early and opt to have the sun shine onto their bedroom windows. Facing your less heating and air conditioning sensitive rooms south means utilizing your air conditioning system or heating system less. Another consideration is if you are going to install solar panels or solar thermal panels. Planning in advance to maximize their sun exposure and performance will help reduce your dependence on the utility company.

Qualified Quality Installation

You can save a buck going with the lowest builder or insulation contractor. But you are going to pay more in energy costs over the life of your home and end up spending a lot more in the long run. It’s not a matter of it being difficult to slam some insulation into a floor or attic. It’s about doing it correctly to create a thermal barrier. How the spray foam, batting, or whichever insulation choice fits your budget is applied is the deciding factor on if you will get a nice fat monthly reminder that you could have hired a better insulation contractor.

Improving Existing Homes Energy Efficiency

If you bought a home or if you home is just getting older you might have to look at upgrading to one of the new insulation options. With better understanding of how to keep homes cool in Phoenix your local insulation contractors have better tools at their disposal now than ever before. The new technologies seal the house better, stopping your expensive conditioned air from just happily seeping outside. The materials are also much more effective. Inspecting other areas like single pane windows and weather stripping on doors is a great way to make sure you are living energy efficient. This does more than just reduce the demand on the power grid, but it leaves more money in your wallet and keeps your home more comfortable.

Phoenix Insulation Experts

When it comes to helping you build a home that will save you thousands, or upgrading your existing home to be more energy efficient Barrier Insulation has you covered anywhere in the Phoenix Valley.

Give us a call today at 602-499-2922 or

How Does Insulation Work?

How Does Insulation Work Phoenix Arizona

A fact of life in the greater Phoenix area is heat, pure unfiltered heat. Before the AC is on we know that we need to insulate our houses and businesses. We know that insulation works and saves us thousands of dollars in electrical bills. But how does insulation actually work?

How Insulation Works

Understanding the concept of heat flow is the basis for understanding how insulation works. The three mechanisms that heat transfers are radiation, conduction and convection. Convection is the method that heat moves through gases and liquids, like the air in your attic. Radiant heat moves in a straight line and when it hits anything solid it heats it up and that object absorbs the energy. Lastly is Conduction, just like electricity moving through copper wires heat moves through materials. Just like when you are cooking and the handle to your pot or pan is sometimes quite warm. The heat from the sun when it moves through the air (convection) will hit your roof and start to heat it up (radiant), then heat will start to transfer through the roofing material (conduction) and into your home, unless you’ve got something to stop it … . insulation.

The majority of insulation choices function by slowing down the conductive heat flow, and some of the convective heat flow. Reflective insulation and radiant barriers beat the heat by cutting down the radiant heat gain. These must face an air space to be effective.

Despite which method of heat is finding its way into your home physics dictate that heat flows from warm to cold until they are equal, having not temperature difference. That means for your home heat trying to get in during the summer and back out during the winter.

Types of Insulation

Insulation for your home comes in a variety of materials. Each have their pros and cons. Some are just easier on the budget up front, but the more effective long term solutions cost a couple extra dollars during installation but pay off big over the years. These insulating materials can be made from things like rock and slag wool, cellulose, fiberglass and other natural fibers. It can also be produced in rigid foam boards and sleek foils. Thick and bulky materials help slow conductive heat, and even some of the convection. The rigid foam boards trap air to help stop conductive heat. Reflective insulation systems and radiant barriers reflect the heat away from where you spend your time. This makes them especially useful here in Phoenix.

Rolls and Batts – these are flexible sheets that are produced from mineral fibers, like fiberglass or rock wool. These come in a variety of sizes that fit the spaces between the studs that constitute the spaces between walls and roof trusses.

Loose-Fill Insulation – Like rolls and batts the loose-fill insulation can be made from fiberglass and rock wool but in addition it can be made from cellulose and come in the form of lose fibers or fiber pellets. It’s distributed into the attics using specialized equipment that helps create a even and well distributed layer for maximum efficiency.

Foam In Place Insulation – This is the best option for maximum home efficiency. These spray in options are sprayed directly onto the surfaces in your roof and expand to seal the minor gaps and hold your air in and keep that heat out.

Cutting your electric bill is something everyone wants, and when you’re ready to save some money give the experts at Barrier Insulation a call at (602) 499-2922

Garage Insulation For Increased Energy Efficiency

If you are looking to enhance the energy efficiency of your home in Phoenix, AZ, one step you may want to consider that could render great saving on your energy bill is, insulating your garage. Typical garages are not insulated and can become extremely cold in the winter time and extremely hot in the summers. These extremes can damage and warp things you may have stored in your garage and ever add wear and tear to your vehicles that are experiencing the temperature fluctuations in your garage. The temperatures in your garage affect the temps in your home if your garage is attached to your house. The air can pass into your home, causing your central air system to work harder in order to sustain the interior temperature that you set it to maintain.

Having your garage properly insulated will help tremendously to keep your home and garage comfortable on top of enhancing your home’s energy efficiency. Aside from having your garage outfitted with an insulation system there are steps that can be taken to enhance the effect that the insulation system will have on your garage. One of these steps is to have a lightly colored garage door. Lighter shades and colors will reflect light and heat away from your garage whereas darker colors and shades will absorb heat and cause your garage to heat up tremendously.

Having a ventilated garage door is another option as the vents will allow air to constantly circulate throughout your garage instead of remaining static. Still air will remain hot and promote rising temperatures as it effectively compounds on itself instead of flowing freely. Air flow along with a garage door that reflects heat and light will help your chosen insulation system transform the energy efficiency traits and qualities as well as the comfort level of your homes attached garage.

Is Your Home Garage Properly Insulated?

Barrier Insulation, Inc is the leading insulation contractor in Glendale, AZ & Phoenix, AZ and can install insulation in your home’s garage to increase your homes energy efficiency and save you money. See why adding insulation to your home garage has the best return on your investment. Give us a call at (602)499-2922 or (623)931-0637 today!

Tips for Saving Energy

Energy efficiency is growing ever more important in a day and age when our resources are dwindling and our way of life is getting more in line with what is best for the planet. Scientific advancements are constantly being applied to various areas of our every day lives and our ability to utilize the energy that we generate is improving exponentially. This means there are opportunities to save money on energy that are greater than ever before. Not all of us have the means to utilize these scientific advancements right away, but there are steps you can take to save money in order to put it towards these improvements that can greatly improve your every day life. Here are some tips:

To Reduce Heat:

During the warmer months, prevent as much natural light from entering your home as possible. The more light that enters your home, the more heat it will carry along with it. Keeping blinds and shades closed is highly recommended
Extend any window awnings to provide more shade around your windows
Use light bulbs that are more energy efficient. Standard light bulbs operate at warm temperatures that can raise the temperature inside your home.
Close the doors and cooling vents in any rooms that are not being used regularly. Open the vents and doors as needed.
BBQ as much as possible instead of using the oven inside of your home. Ovens produce massive levels of heat by their very nature and avoiding that heat radiating throughout the interior of your home is impossible.

Thermostat Tips:

Pick a comfortable setting and leave your thermostat locked on that setting at all times. It is much easier to maintain a temperature than it is to use heat or cooling to achieve a new temp level. If need be, change it only when you wake up and before you lay down for bed in the evening.
Contrary to what most believe, setting your thermostat to lower or higher temperatures in order to heat or cool faster does not work. Your central air unit will heat and cool at a steady rate which means that all you are doing is prolonging the time it will be running on top of setting yourself up to be uncomfortable once the temp it was set for is reached. The only way to fix that would be to set a new comfortable temp and make your system work to achieve it.
Keep heat producing appliances away from the thermostat. The heat that radiates from them will cause the thermostat to get false reading which will cause it to activate or deactivate depending on if you are heating or cooling.

Utilizing these tips can help you save a lot of money over time on your energy bills giving you more financial liquidity and freedom. On top of that you can use the savings to pay for improvements that can further increase the energy efficiency of your home via upgrades to things like insulation and appliances related to your central air system. In this day and age, updating your home to modern standards in regard to appliances, electrical systems, insulation, ventilation, and the materials used in the home can skyrocket your home’s ability to use energy efficiently. These kinds of improvements pay for themselves over time, making them a no brainer. The toughest part may be figuring out how to make the initial investments, but making certain behavioral changes can give you your starting capital for your series of home improvements.

9 Ways to Increase Energy Efficiency Part 4

Back again with the conclusion of our 4 part series on ways that you can increase your home’s energy efficiency with tips seven through nine. If you haven’t read parts one –three, please do so in order to complete the picture of energy efficiency that we’re trying to paint. With that said, here we go.

Advanced Lighting Technology: Equipping your home with energy efficient LED and fluorescent bulbs throughout will go a long way in saving you money on you energy bill and because of the fact that you won’t need to replace light bulbs for years because of the longevity of the advanced bulbs. You can find one of these bulbs to fit any light fixture in your home.
Upgrading Appliances: Using modern versions of household appliances will have a major effect, especially when combined with the other tips in this series. New appliances will not only use less electricity to function, they use less water (applicable appliances only), dryers have sensors to tell them when to stop a dry cycle, and new power strips will put the icing on your energy efficiency cake.
Equip Your Home To Be Able to Produce Renewable Energy: Adding solor panels or a wind turbine to your property will increase the overall value of your home and property, it will save you money each month and may even MAKE you money! Some city and town governments offer incentives to those who choose to modify their home with renewable energy producing additions and some will even purchase excess electricity you contribute to the power grid.

This concludes our series on raising your home’s energy efficiency without interrupting your everyday lifestyle. Read parts one-three and watch your energy bill plummet as you install these changes into your home!

9 Ways to Increase Energy Efficiency Part 3

Here we go with part 3 of our series of tips for increasing your home’s energy efficiency. We have covered four tips so far in the series and will be hitting you with two more today! Energy efficiency has a direct correlation to your bank account because it heavily impacts your energy bill and how expensive or cheap it will routinely be. We highly recommend reading every part of this series in order to transform and maximize the energy efficiency of your home.

Heating and Cooling Upgrades

Upgrading your heating and cooling system to a more modern model will immediately upgrade the energy efficiency of your home as soon as it is powered on. Some older homes will see a major difference if they are using old and outdated appliances that are the electrical equivalent of gas guzzling vehicles. Having power bills in the neighborhood of $400 is absurd and should not be experienced with the advancements available in 2015. For instance, gas furnaces are roughly 25% more efficient now than they were in the 70’s. There are new versions of appliances and new methods of installation and insulating that have developed over the past ten years that can not only change the efficiency with which your home operates, they will increase the overall value of your property immensely. Modernizing your home is always a good idea, especially if you have owned it for a while or if you recently bought an older home.

Water Heater Adjustments

Water heaters can often get lost as part of the scenery in a home rather than an appliance you would actively interact with. Often times, they aren’t even in a location that is regularly visible so the old ‘out of sight, out of mind’ adage is definitely at play. For such an overlooked appliance, the water heater checks in as the second largest consumer of energy in any home. Making sure the heater is set to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (the most efficient setting) and that it is well insulated to conserve energy will pay dividends whenever you power bill arrives.

Stay tuned for our next two tips in part four of our series in our next entry!

Best Type Of Insulation For Basement Walls

best insulation types for basement walls spray foam

The best type of insulation for basement walls is any type that stops moisture movement and prevents mold and mildew growth. Basements host the perfect location type for foam insulation products. Cellulose insulation is a great option for basements but for the sake of this article we will only be talking about foam insulation.

Spray Foam Insulation

Spray foam insulation is one of the most popular types of insulation on the market and is the best material for insulating basements and other damp areas like bathrooms or kitchens. Closed cell spray foam insulation is great for sealing out water vapor that tries to get inside your basement walls. Spray foam has many benefits including vapor barrier, covers wires, pipes and other utilities and also provides good R values. The only downfall to spray foam is that its more expensive than other types of insulation for now but in the future it will be come for cost effective. It’s also very messy, but the insulation company that will blow the insulation in your walls should provide clean up for it as well. If you are trying this as DIY insulation installation project, good luck!

Foam Board Insulation

The 2nd best insulation for basements is using foam board insulation. This is a common type of insulation used by insulation installers but is also a type of insulation DIYers are more likely able to handle. It’s also more affordable than spray foam insulation and a little more attractive but unless you plan on leaving your walls exposed, no one will know what type of insulation is inside of them.

The only problem with foam board is choosing the right thickness. Also, sealing to create a vapor barrier is something that should be left to the experts. However, 2 to 4 inches of foam board insulation should be an adequate thickness for nearly any type of basement. Also, using a spray foam to seal up all the cracks around the bottom of the foam board and around the utilities is recommended with this type of insulation. Only a small amount will be needed though.

Fiberglass & Hybrid Foam Insulation

The 3rd and final method of insulating your basement is using a hybrid system of fiberglass and foam board. The is the cheapest possible insulation method for your basement but should only be used if your basement doesn’t have any current signs of water damage or infiltration. This method should never be used if your basement has a history of water leaks, damage, issues etc… Also, this type of insulation does not create as tight of a vapor barrier as foam board or spray foam insulation.

Basement Insulation Conclusion

Not all basements can be turned into an acceptable finsihed space. Too many time have people tried to finish a basement with insulation when it really needs major foundational work or structural repairs. If your basement has history of water problems or flooding, you might want to get an inspection of your home before adding on insulation to walls just to make sure you are the perfect candidate for insulation. The main goal of adding foam insulation is to separate the block framing from the damp concrete or old insulation products that can create mold growth.

9 Ways to Increase Energy Efficiency Part 2

We are back this week with the next two steps in our continuing blog entry on ways you can increase your home’s energy efficiency. You can always look back to part one for the first two steps that we have covered thus far. Once you have taken in that information you’ll be ready to move along with us to steps 3 & 4!

Have your home put through an Energy Audit:

An energy audit will help you understand exactly how your home is using energy and what amount of energy it is consuming. Identifying areas where you may be wasting energy can prove to be incredibly valuable and save you a lot of money once you correct the wasteful behavior. You can run home energy audits online for free, so there really is no reason to pass up this option! There are several on line energy audits available online and your current power company may even have online tools for you to use.

Weatherization:

Weatherizing is the most cost effective way to raise your home’s energy efficiency and it is also one of the methods that will have the most immediate impact. Weatherization works equally well in both warmer and colder climates because it keeps the outside environment from influencing or outright changing the indoor environment within your home. Air sealing windows and doors will cover holes you had no idea even existed greatly increasing your home’s barrier against the elements. Another great way to weatherize your home is by adding insulation or upgrading your already existing insulation to a more modern and efficient type. Air sealing and upgrading insulation will provide a night and day difference in your homes comfort level and energy consumption.

Stay tuned as we will be back soon with the next two steps for increasing your homes energy efficiency!

Blown-In Insulation vs. Batt Insulation

When it comes to insulation, there are several types that are prominently used for various reasons. When you are considering which type of insulation you want to go with knowing the nuances of each type and how they compare to each other. In this blog entry we are going to compare Batt insulation to Blown-in insulation. These are two of the most commonly used insulation types and may very well be the style that you end up choosing.

Blown-In Insulation: This insulation type requires a professional technician with the necessary equipment to install it. The main advantage of blown-in insulation is the fact it can be blown into tight places that would be otherwise hard to insulate. Blown-in insulation is made from cellulose which is an affordable material that is safer to be exposed to than fiberglass. This insulation type can compact over time, which will cause it to lose overall efficiency, which is one of its few cons. Blown-in insulation should be strongly considered as it is both highly effective, more versatile in where it can be placed, as well as being affordable.

Batt Insulation: Batt is one of the most widely spread types of insulation available today. The reason for this is its low cost and how easy it is to install. Batt insulation comes in a foam roll that is meant to be cut into the shapes of the spaces you intend to insulate. This style does have its limitations as it is not suitable for crawl spaces and other hard to reach areas that should be insulated. Installation needs to be handled needs to be handled very carefully as any missteps can greatly affect the energy efficiency of the insulation in a negative way. Batt insulation is also prone to becoming compacted which can greatly harm its ability to effectively insulate.

9 Ways to Increase Energy Efficiency in 2016 Part 1

Living in Arizona can be very demanding when it comes to energy use, especially during the extremely hot summer months. Running your AC unit constantly to keep your home comfortable and cool adds up and can lead to some pretty lofty power bills. Saving money can benefit everyone and the fact that becoming more energy efficient benefits the environment is a win-win for all. This blog entry is part 1 in a series of how to lower your energy use while maintaining the benefits of a comfortable home.

Keep your power bills for records: Your energy bill is very detailed and offers you a plethora of beneficial information that can help you understand how much energy you use regularly as well as track the differences that occur from any changes you make. You will see how much electricity and gas you use over the course of the previous month and the year to date. You can file away your physical bills or save electronic records for future reference.
Be open to changes in your lifestyle: Adjusting your energy use will inevitably involve making changes in your every day behaviors and habits. Keeping conscious about your energy use is going to be a lifestyle change in itself and that is only the mindset part. Actually putting new practices in motion will be new and unfamiliar at first, but once you adjust to your new way of living you will have a fatter wallet to accompany you.

These are important primer steps for the real changes that will be outlined next week in our next entry. Getting into the right mindset to make lifestyle changes is the most important step when it comes to making important changes stick. Come back next week and we will have more steps for you to take toward increased energy efficiency!