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Energy Efficiency Leads to Better Health
Here in Kansas, it always seems to be allergy season. Your home should be a place of respite from all of the pollutants and allergens, yet this is not always the case. The good news is that having an energy efficient home is one way to start your trek to better health, especially if done right.
Obviously, insulation is a key factor in whether your home is energy-efficient or not. Chances are, in a new home, you’re in pretty good shape, or at least out to be. But if you’re in an older home, your air sealing and insulation situation could probably use some improvement.
How do I know?
The first and most obvious way to know it’s time to look into your insulation is when the bills start to climb. Other good indicators would be rooms that never seem to get to the right temperature or HVAC equipment that seems to be constantly running (leading back to that bill thing). However, an increase in allergic responses – you know, sneezing or itching – can also be an indicator that the air inside your home isn’t great. There are also devices, like a Foobot, that can tell you the quality of your inside air. If the air has a lot of pollutants and you’re reacting to them, they’re either coming from the inside (issues like mold or pet dander, for instance) or from the outside, where all the things you’re allergic to are supposed to stay.
You keep saying insulation and air sealing like they’re two separate things.
That’s because they are! Kind of. In a gist, insulation’s job is to create a thermal blanket around the living areas inside your home. This is why its effectiveness is measured in terms of R-value, where R means Resistance to heat flow. Air sealing lacks an easily recognizable measuring tool like R-value but air sealing is all about creating a barrier between the inside and outside air. Most insulation products provide some resistance to air and many air sealing products provide some resistance to heat flow and, yes, sometimes they’re the same thing. We use a conjunction of both types of products to protect your home.
Ok, so how will my health improve?
With 1 in 14 adults has asthma, experts estimate that at least 40% of those were diagnosed due to exposures in their own homes. This exposure can come from dampness in your home, unregulated temperatures and lack of quality insulation to protect you from allergens.
Source: E4TheFuture
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America found that the average American spends about $3,259 on asthma every year. By improving your insulation to decrease your health risks, you will also be saving money on monthly energy bills and potentially even more lost on medical bills. At the very least, you’ll be reducing a couple of factors that can cause major headaches.
