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Phoenix Fall Home Preparation

Fall has arrived in the Valley of the Sun and overnight temperatures are starting to get into the 50’s. Daytime highs are still plenty comfortable, but nights are starting to get colder. This is the best time of year to get your home ready for the colder season. The holidays are already a busy time and November is a great time to get all of your home fall home preparation done in Phoenix.

Exterior Fall Home Preparation

The outside of your home needs some attention and inspection to be ready for the cold weather.

Take Care Of Trees – One of the biggest dangers to your home can be trees that are growing too close. They either hang over the roof or are right up against the wall. You don’t want the wind causing the branches to scrape against the house. There is also a danger of strong winds and a bad branch to break off and cause damage to your roof. Get your trees trimmed away from the house, and power lines. Many times the city will take care of the trees near your power lines for free, just call and let them know you think there might be a problem.

Check Your Roof – You can do a basic inspection of your roof from the ground. Look for areas where roofing material looks loose, or is missing. Keep an eye on your flashings too, they butt up against the chimney, walls, surround exhaust pipes and lay in valleys. They are a critical part of keeping you roofing in good condition.

Get The Chimney Swept – If you have a wood burning fireplace that you like to use during the winter, now is a good time to get it cleaned. While burning wood there are flammable materials and gases that go up through your chimney. Over time they collect on the chimney walls and have a potential for ignition. This can be a very dangerous situation if you have a chimney fire. Animals can also decide to create homes in your chimney so having it cleaned out protects you from having problems.

Clean Your Gutters – Leaves, twigs, and all sorts of blown debris can end up in your gutters and cause water to seep into your roof. Make sure you get a ladder or hire someone to clean out your gutters to prevent damage to your attic or insulation. Water left standing also poses a mold issue so take it serious when you are caring for your gutters and attic.

Interior Fall Home Preparation

Taking care of the outside of your home is important, but don’t miss these steps to shore up the interior of your home and help you stay safe and warm.

Look For Drafts – Drafts are energy killers and will cost you both in summer and winter. We pay plenty to the power and gas companies as it is. You will stay warmer and save on your bills if you take the time to find areas where the air is getting out of your house. Drafts are usually coming in at cracks and gaps. Common places to look for them are plumbing vents, wiring holes, recessed lighting, attic hatches, and knee walls. This is a great time of year to caulk or seal up there gaps and help your home be more airtight.

Insulate To Save – Insulation is a big part of keeping your home comfortable in summer and winter. During the winter the heat from your home will attempt to flow through walls and into the adjacent unheated rooms. This includes the attic, basements, garages, and even simply out the walls of your home. Not having proper insulation makes your air conditioner work harder in summer, and your heater in winter. Thermal performance inspections by local insulation contractors help ensure that insulation is up to the task.

Home Safety Check – Fall is a great time to take a look at the safety device in your home. You should replace the batteries in your carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors, and heat sensors. With fall and winter being the time of year where there will be chestnuts roasting over the fire, you want to be sure you and your family are safe.

Phoenix Insulation Contractors

If you are worried about your energy bills and think it is your insulation that is at fault the experts at Barrier Insulation can come and help you with an inspection. They can help you prepare for the colder weather that is on it’s way and help you install insulation that will help lower your energy bills every month of the year. Call today to stay more comfortable and have lower energy bills.

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!

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!

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.

Achieving Proper Attic Insulation

During the summer months attics are traditionally viewed as a sweat boxes sitting above our ceilings. Attics can have extremely high temperatures when they are not shielded with proper insulation. Your attic doesn’t have to be an elevated oven every summer, however. If you have an audit performed by a professional energy efficiency consultant, the deficiencies in your attics insulation will be documented and pointed out. The auditor will also suggest ways that you can address the inefficiencies and present various solutions for you to consider.

One area they may find to be an inefficiency is having your soffits covered by insulation material. The reason this is a problem is because it restricts air flow in and out of your attic, in effect trapping the hot air in your attic and keeping it in a static state. This will definitely cause your attic to heat up to extreme temperatures as hot air compounds on hot air. This steady rise in temperature can damage your belongings by melting certain components or causing contents of canisters etc to expand, possibly to the point of explosion. This will make your home exponentially harder to cool during the summer months and your attic will be unbearable to spend any time in. People utilize attics for different reasons, some of which involve large stretches of time spent on the top level of your home.

Installing baffles is a great way to help ventilate your attic. Baffles are vent chutes that promote the flow of air through your attic, helping to circulate the air which keeps it cooler. This will also help prevent the growth of mold. If moisture exists in an environment with static, warm air, mold can begin to grow. If you have an unchecked mold growth occurring in your attic, you are at risk for several mold related health issues. Experiencing a mold bloom can not only damage your immune system, it can damage your home to the point where the property value drops or even having the home itself condemned.

An attic ventilation fan can do a lot to help avoid mold problems and circulate the air in your attic. If baffles or any other ventilation measures are installed, their effect the circulation of air in your attic will be augmented, which will lead to an attic that is exponentially cooler during the summer months when it is usually unbearable to pay your attic a visit.

Energy Efficiency During the Winter

Are you searching for ways to improve your Energy Efficiency During the Winter? This post is meant to help keep your costs down during the colder months. Winter time is here and we are experiencing an abnormally cold winter here in the Valley of the Sun. Getting your home prepared to stay warm and energetically efficient throughout the season can do a lot to keep you and your family comfortable as well as saving you money on your monthly energy bill. We are going to go over various ways that you can winterize your home and stay cozy until the inevitable triple digit temperatures return in a few months.

Heating System Inspection

Have your heating system inspected and maintained as soon as you can. Keeping your heating system in top shape will allow it to perform efficiently which will keep your home warm while also reducing the wear and tear you system will incur because it will not have to work as hard to produce the desired result.

Close The Vents

Make sure your foundation vents are closed. Your vents should honestly be closed by the time winter rolls around because it is advised that the vents are closed in the Fall and reopened in the Spring, but life happens and sometimes we overlook things. Make sure to check that your vents are closed as the season changes.

Check Door & Window Seals

Check your windows and doors and make sure they are in good condition and properly sealed. Unfit doors and windows are notorious for letting in cold winter air and will drastically compromise the energy efficiency of your home. That is a lose-lose situation. Checking on the seals and having them repaired if necessary is just as important as keeping the windows and doors themselves in good condition.

Inspect Attic & Home Insulation

Make sure your attic is properly insulated. It is easy to lose the heat in your home as it rises through the attic, which will cause a severe drop in energy efficiency. Investing in insulation for your attic will keep you warm and save you money. Your attic insulation is a major key in keeping your home comfortable and energy efficient, but you should not neglect the rest of the home. Crawl spaces, walls, and air leaks can greatly impact the energy efficiency of your home.