HVAC System Insulation: Its Importance
What is the importance of proper HVAC system insulation? When your air conditioner cools your home, its efficiency depends on a few important factors. Clean filters, clean units, and regular maintenance play a role, of course – but so does your home insulation. Insulation determines how efficiently your home keeps in the cold air generated by your AC in the summer (or heat in the winter.) If too much cold air escapes or warm air gets in from outside, your AC will work harder.
Inevitably, this means more power usage and higher power bills. You might be amazed to discover just how important proper insulation can be for saving money on cooling and heating all year. Let’s dive into the facts.
How Insulation Works
Insulation works in two different ways. First, it provides a seal, preventing air from escaping or getting into your home where it shouldn’t. Second, it creates an air pocket that holds in temperature so that heat or cold isn’t transferred through the materials of your home. Fluffy insulation works like a comforter, trapping air between the fluffy fibers. Layer insulation – like double-paned windows – works by creating an air pocket between the outside layer and the inside layer.
Heating and Cooling Efficiency
Proper insulation makes it easier for your HVAC to change the temperature of your home. Not only is your home properly sealed, but the walls themselves will capture the desired temperature and help the home achieve an even temperature throughout. Insulation of your ducts also ensures that no temperature loss occurs in the un-conditioned areas between your walls and above the ceiling where the ducts are located.
That means your AC needs less power (and money) to cool your entire house to a comfortable temperature.
Reduced HVAC Energy Waste
Next, insulation prevents the cooled air from escaping your home and keeps out the summer heat. It does this by preventing the transfer of temperature between materials so that the inside of your house stays cool and separate from the hot outdoors. Poor insulation means that your AC keeps having to run over and over to re-insert cold air as heat gets in and cold escapes.
Therefore, a well-insulated house means your AC can run for a minimal amount of time, using minimal electricity and money, to keep your home cool all day.
Effective Mold Protection
As a bonus, the right insulation can prevent mold growth. In a humid climate like Florida, mold is a pretty serious concern and one that is closely related to your HVAC performance. HVAC can help dry the air to reduce the risk of mold on damp surfaces, while mold-resistant insulation makes the inside of your walls far less habitable for mold spores that are looking for a home.
So, that’s savings on mold remediation as a side bonus when you upgrade your home’s insulation.
Long-Term Home Value
Another way that insulation saves you money is through long-term home value. A well-insulated house has a higher market value than a poorly insulated one. While there is inherent value to consider, energy savings also play an important role. If you can show buyers your summer power bills before and after upgrading your insulation (because of better HVAC performance) the value of your home will go up because of the potential utility savings for your buyers.
Government Insulation Incentives
The government offers a number of incentives regarding home energy efficiency. Because better insulation causes your HVAC to need less electricity for home cooling, you can find an incentive or two that will help offset the cost of your insulation home improvements. Check out both federal and Florida-specific opportunities before you renovate.
Insulation Tips for HVAC Efficiency
Better insulation means better HVAC efficiency and long-term savings on your power bills. You can improve your home’s insulation in a variety of ways, both with changes you can make right away and improvements you can add to your next home renovation.
- Immediate Insulation Upgrades
- Replace weatherstripping on all doors and windows
- Add insulation to your attic
- Use the right seasonal window treatments
- Add rugs to hard floors
- Renovation Insulation Upgrades
- Clean, repair, and insulate your HVAC ducts
- Install double-paned windows
- Lay insulation below new flooring
- Rebuild walls with better insulation
Discover HVAC System Insulation Performance with Mid-Fla Heating & Air
We hope you learned a lot regarding HVAC system insulation. If you’re looking to improve your air conditioning performance, we can help! Mid-Fla provides HVAC repair, maintenance, new installations, and duct services including repair and insulation. We can also provide expert consultations on other ways to improve your home’s insulation and your HVAC efficiency for long-term utility savings. Contact us today to book a service or learn more.
