Posts

Can Attic Insulation Prevent Pests?

/in /by

Because of the weather in the local area, you probably deal with pests from time to time. If you feel like you have a lot of pests in your attic, you might be wondering how to get rid of them. One option could be to install better attic insulation. Not every home comes with the insulation necessary to prevent these critters from invading your home. What do you need to know about this problem, and how can attic insulation help you?

Why Do Pests Like the Attic?

There are several reasons why you probably have a few pests in your attic. First, foot traffic is significantly lower than it is in other areas of the home. Just as you don’t like pests, they don’t like you. They tend to hide where the people aren’t.

In addition, there are a lot of great hiding spaces for pests. For example, you might spot them living in storage areas and cardboard boxes. It is also very easy for pests to find sources of food. If something is left in the attic, it is probably going to be there for a while. Therefore, it is easy for pests to survive.

What Types of Pests Live in the Attic?

There are several different types of pests you might spot living in your attic. For example, it is not unusual to see silverfish, termites, crickets, beetles, hands, and cockroaches in the Attic. It is critical for you to deal with these critters as quickly as possible. Even though they are incredibly annoying, they can also be hazardous to the structure of your home. For example, silverfish are known to destroy documents and photo albums. Termites are known to destroy your home. They can also be hazardous to your health, particularly those with chronic respiratory issues.

How To Use Attic Insulation To Keep Them Away

Standard installation is not enough to keep the critters out of your home. Instead, it is important for you to use something called TAP insulation. This stands for thermal, acoustic, pest control in insulation. It is strong insulation, so you do not need to worry about it driving up utility bills. In fact, you might be able to save money on your regular utility expenses. Because this insulation is also able to keep out pests, you might be able to save money on home repair bills as well.

Call King Insulation for All of Your Insulation Needs

If you are looking for a way to effectively deal with pests in your home, you need to rely on a professional who can help you. At King Insulation, we have the training and experience necessary to help you improve your insulation. We can help you save money on your utility bills while also keeping annoying pests out of the home. To learn more about the different types of insulation we have available, give us a call today! It would be our honor to help you with your insulation needs.

Upgrading Your Insulation? Don’t DIY It!

/in /by

We are prominent believers in the DIY mindset. Learning how to do something so that you can do it time and again is an invaluable skill. With that being said, certain projects may lend themselves better to professional assistance rather than the DIY mindset. If you live in Phoenix or any of the surrounding areas, you are likely well aware of the wild shift in temperatures that the seasons can bring. From scorching heat to cool winter nights, you’ll want to ensure your home’s protection through the installation of high-quality insulation.

Let’s take a closer look at the importance of insulation as well as why it’s a job better reserved for the professional technicians at King Insulation.

Insulation Removal: Potential Dangers

In order to attain the most possible benefit from your new insulation, you will have to remove your old materials. Unfortunately, most everyday homeowners are not prepared nor qualified to safely remove the old insulation from their property. Older insulation can be beholden to rat droppings, asbestos, and even mold and moisture problems — an issue not usually covered by homeowner’s insurance. Exposure to these potential hazards can lead to potentially dangerous consequences for your health.

To properly dispose of your old insulation, have a professional technician approach the task. Professional contractors know how to safely and properly remove all insulation from the home, including the insulation within your attic, walls, and crawlspaces.

Benefits of Professional Insulation Installation

Hiring a professional insulation contractor to handle the task can take a load off your shoulders while helping your home in the long run. Not only will you be able to enjoy sitting aside while the task is handled for you, but insulation contractors at King Insulation can help in a number of other ways.

Here are a few ways in which a professional installer can directly help you and your home.

  • Get An Energy Audit – An energy audit is a (free!) and effective way to find out where energy loss is largely coming from within your home. An energy audit will include the testing and inspecting of equipment, heat transfer, and air movement in your home. An energy audit can help you save money while focusing on replacing the right insulation.
  • Reduced Energy Costs – New insulation from a reputable supplier can help to directly and dramatically reduce your heating and cooling expenses. New insulation can help to better seal cracks and gaps against air leaks, both indoors and outdoors.
  • Year-round Benefits – Insualtion helps your energy expenses not just in the winter, but in the summer as well. Professional insulation will keep you comfortable no matter the time of the year or the weather outside.

Improve our Home Today With King Insulation

King Insulation is a full-service provider of professional insulation installations throughout the state of Arizona. Founded in 1981, King Insulation provides professional installers with unmatched products to leave you assured that you are getting the greatest value possible for your time and money.

The team at King Insulation offers

  • Residential Insulation
  • Commercial Installation
  • Free Home Estimates
  • Lead-Safe Certified Firm

To have new insulation installed in your home, call on King Insulation for a free estimate!

Is Your Home Telling You to Re-Insulate?

/in /by

You rely on your home’s insulation to help keep you comfortable all year round. Meanwhile, quality insulation can help you save on your energy bills and minimize the amount of outside noise that makes its way into your house.

So, how do you know when it’s time to re-insulate your home? There are a handful of things to watch out for.

Your HVAC Bills Are Through the Roof

Have you noticed an increase in your energy bills? If so, and if your HVAC system isn’t to blame, then it might just be that your insulation needs to be upgraded. This may also be the case if your HVAC system seems to be working harder to keep your home comfortable, as a lack of quality insulation may mean that your furnace or AC is running more than it should.

Your Home is More Than a Few Decades Old

Believe it or not, it wasn’t until the mid-1980s when building codes actually began to require insulation in homes. Prior to this, it was not entirely uncommon to find homes with no insulation at all. And even once insulation became a building requirement, the quality of insulation used was not great. If your home was built more than a few decades ago, there’s a good chance you could benefit from re-insulation.

Your Rooms Feel Drafty

If you notice drafts in your home, it can be easy to blame your windows and doors. However, drafts can also come from poor insulation. If you’re noticing an increase in drafts throughout your home or if you find that there are major temperature differences throughout different spaces in your home, then it’s probably time to re-insulate. Doing so can help to seal off gaps that may otherwise allow outside air in.

Your Home Gets Ice Dams

Ice dams (or ice that forms on the eaves of your home during the winter) is almost always a sign of insulation problems. That’s because these dams form when ice or snow melts on a roof due to hot air inside a home’s attic. If your home gets ice dams during the winter, it’s time to look into upgrading your insulation sooner rather than later.

You’re Bothered By Outside Noise

Are you constantly being bothered by outside noise from traffic, neighbors, or other sources? If so, then upgrading your insulation can be a great way to reduce the amount of outside noise that you can hear in your home. As a result, you can enjoy some much-needed peace and quiet no matter what may be going on outside.

Get Started With Re-Insulation Today

These are just a few telltale signs that it may be time to re-insulate your home. The good news is that this home improvement can be a lot easier and less expensive than you may think!

At King Insulation, we specialize in residential re-insulation (and have since 1981)! Contact us today to learn more about our services or to schedule a consultation at your home!

Increase the Energy Efficiency Of Your Arizona Home Year-Round!

/in /by

Fiberglass insulation was first invented in the 1930s to help insulate homes against the elements. In the many years since then, we’ve come to rely on professionally installed installation not just to keep our homes comfortable, but to keep our energy bills minimal. While our mind’s eye might imagine insulation as pivotal for keeping the house warm during the winter, insulation can do so much more.

Today, we are going to explore a couple of different ways that new insulation can make your home more energy-efficient than ever.

True Energy Saving Benefits of Insulation

Here in Arizona, temperatures can swing and sway as the calendar progresses. Scorching hot summers can give way to cool winter nights, leaving your home in a constant state of flux. The truth about energy efficiency is simple, if we can maintain a steady temperature throughout the day, we can minimize energy use.

Roof and Attic Energy Loss

Having a team of professional installers put new insulation in your home can help to keep your property at a steady temperature. Insulating your home against temperature swings is the best way to lower your energy bills. One of the most common areas for energy loss before re-insulating your home will be in the attic and through the roof. Properly installed insulation by King Insulation can minimize energy loss while leaving your home more comfortable as a result.

Flexible Insulation Options

What sets a professional installer apart from amateur alternatives comes down to expertise and product availability. Working with King Insulation will ensure access to fiberglass, spray foam, and blown-in fiberglass or cellulose. Flexible insulation options ensure that your needs are met where they are most dire.

  • Fiberglass – Made by heating silica sands and spinning them into fiber, fiberglass insulation is strong, inexpensive, and long-lasting.
  • Spray Foam – Made from polyurethane, spray foam is the ideal insulation for buildings in Arizona. Spray foam is fantastic for minimizing moisture and moisture damage as well as insulating against noise.
  • Blown-in Cellulose – Cellulose is created from recycled paper, typically sourced from newspaper and newsprint waste. Cellulose is often chosen because it is fire retardant, affordable, and relatively eco-friendly in the grand scheme of things.

Discuss your property and corresponding concerns with a technician at King Insulation to ensure that your needs are met directly.

More Than a Cold Weather Issue

Insulating your home and improving energy efficiency is a year-round process. In Arizona, temperature swings ensure that your property will face inconsistent temperatures. Only by professionally insulating and maintaining your home can you work toward reducing energy expenditures while improving your home’s value.

Insulation can be as simple as a one-time cost that pays for itself over the corresponding years of energy savings. Are you ready to improve your home or business?

Improve Your Energy Efficiency With King Insulation

Founded in 1981, King Insulation is committed to providing unrivaled service at unbeatable prices. Driven by exceptional customer service, King Insulation provides residential and commercial insulation services in addition to industrial properties. Whether you are adding a small addition to your home or re-insulating an enormous warehouse, King Insulation is here to help!

Contact King Insulation today to discuss your insulation needs!

How Attic Ventilation Can Help During Arizona’s Summer

/in /by

Most people don’t give much thought to their attics and how they are connected to the energy efficiency of their homes. Aside from a place to stow away items, attics are rarely used. A poorly insulated and maintained attic can actually increase your energy bills and bring mold and mildew into your home. This is why evaluating your attic and making sure that you have a good ventilation system and proper insulation is so important.

How Poor Ventilation Hurts Your Home

Hot air and moisture often enter your home through your attic. A poorly ventilated attic will not allow enough of this heat to escape, forcing it into the rest of your home. The result is an extra drain on your air conditioning unit, which will work overtime to keep your home cool. In some instances, the air conditioning system is unable to keep up on days that are excessively hot.

If you have a poorly ventilated attic, you may be unable to expel unwanted moisture as well. Mold and mildew need moisture to survive and reproduce. If you trap moisture in your home inadvertently, you are also inviting these hazards into the rest of your home.

The way to address these problems is to make sure that you have vents in the attic that create airflow. This draws heat out of your attic rather than allowing it to move through your home. Making sure that you have proper insulation is also an important step toward protecting your home and lowering your energy bills.

How Insulation Can Lower Your Energy Bill

Insulation doesn’t just keep heat or cold from escaping your home. It also prevents it from entering, reducing the workload of your HVAC system. When your air conditioning isn’t required to work as hard or as long, it can drastically reduce your electricity bill. Insulating your attic will also help maintain your home’s temperature so that your air conditioner is not required to turn itself on as frequently.

Making your home as energy efficient as possible won’t merely reduce your energy bills. It will also help reduce your carbon footprint by reducing the amount of energy required to maintain a cool home. For many, the environmental benefit is enough alone to spur them to make improvements.

Only professional insulation services are equipped to determine whether you have the insulation and ventilation you need to maintain optimum energy efficiency. Many people attempt to address these problems on their own, but find that they are unable to achieve the desired result. It can be more expensive and time-consuming to do it yourself, and you are better off entrusting this to the professionals.

Have Your Home Evaluated for Free

King Insulation has served the Phoenix area for 30 years. We will help you find the most affordable, effective, and energy-efficient solution for your home. During a free home audit, we can let you know how effective your current ventilation and insulation is and then discuss products and materials that fit your unique needs. Give us a call at 602-272-9297 or fill out our online form to learn more.

How to Find the Best Insulation for Your Attic in Arizona

/in /by

An Introduction to Attic Insulation for Arizona Homeowners

Between the chilly desert nights and the searing daytime sunshine, Arizona homes face some formidable thermal control issues. If you’re having trouble keeping your home comfortable without spiking your utility bill, you may need to add insulation to your attic. The good news is that modern construction technologies give you more insulation options than you ever knew existed; the bad news is that all those options can cause understandable puzzlement. Here are some key considerations to help you select the most effective insulation for your Arizona attic.

Insulation Forms and Materials

Attic insulation can take any of numerous forms, the two most common of which are blown-in and batted insulation. Blown-in insulation makes use of a blower that fires chunks of spun material into tight spaces. However, it can also cover large areas, potentially making it the only form of insulation your attic needs. In batted insulation, panels of insulating cloth called batts can cover large, precise areas on attic walls. This form is often supplemented with blown-in insulation sprayed into the smaller or more awkward areas. Spray foam can also be blown into tiny cracks and crevices, boosting energy efficiency. In yet another kind of insulation called radiant barrier insulation, panels of reflective material bounce thermal energy away from the attic interior.

Both batted insulation and blown-in insulation may consist of materials such as cotton, cellulose, and fiberglass. Of these materials, fiberglass is often the preferred choice for its ability to cover areas evenly and without settling. Spray foam insulation is made of polyurethane plastic. Radiant barrier insulation features an outer sheet of metallic foil glued to a backing board.

The Question of R-Value

In addition to choosing the right kind of insulation for your attic, you must also consider how much R-value you need to add to whatever you’ve currently got. R-value is an industry standard measure for a material’s thermal resistance. Recommendations are generally based on the regional climate zone. The Phoenix area sits within Zone 2. For Zone 2 homes, an attic with no insulation should receive insulation with a total R-value between 30 and 60. An attic with three to four inches of existing insulation should receive additional insulation with a R-value of 25 to 38.

When adding new insulation, some of your choices may be limited by the nature of the existing insulation — unless you decide to rip that insulation out entirely and start over. For instance, if your attic already has batted insulation, placing another layer of batting over it may leave air gaps between layers, affecting performance.

Now that you know a few of the factors involved in choosing attic insulation in Arizona, get the rest of the story from the experienced experts at King Insulation. We can tell you exactly how much insulation you need, point you toward the ideal products for your needs, and perform top-quality installations.