A good insulation contractor can be very hard to find. Things like the insulation material used and the thoroughness of the job in most cases cannot be seen by the homeowner when the job is being done. Most home improvement projects are more transparent than installing insulation. In this blog is a video of a full attic insulation install in Georgetown, MA. Insulation Materials – Most people don’t even look at the insulation manufacturer (we use insulation made right here in Massachusetts). How is the average consumer supposed to know the difference between different types of cellulose insulation? Doing the job right – At A&A we use high quality spray foam insulation to seal every possible port of entry for air to escape the living area and come into the attic. Quality insulation starts with quality workmanship. Sealing air from escaping the living space is one of the trickiest things to do in home improvement.
Why is getting a good air-seal so difficult? – Moving air acts in unison. If 90% of your attic gets sealed, the additional 10% of space not sealed will have 10 times the amount of air moving through it. Although sealing every molecule of space for air to move through is nearly impossible, coming as close as you can to 100% sealed is the only way to stop the warm comfortable air inside your home from moving into the attic. Below is a picture of us air sealing the top plate of a wall where it intersects the attic:
What’s going on in the video? – In addition to sealing all the top plates of the walls, the recessed lights, and the chimney, we also made sure to seal all of the plumbing, venting, and heating in the attic. Over the spray foam we put the existing insulation back in place and then blow the cellulose over it. This particular customer already had an attic cap installed on his house, but if he didn’t we would make sure to build him one to fit over the hatch to get into the attic. If the job is complete without an attic cap, that will be a huge entry port for warm air to escape the living space. Recessed lights suck tons of air out of the living space through the heat vacuum created by the light itself. Below is a picture of us creating a recessed lighting cap: 
How expensive will heating become in 2012? – The cost of heating oil in 2012 will be higher than ever according to most sources, so it is more important than ever to realize the energy savings. Savings you can receive with natural gas can make those bills seam like a thing of the past, and with oil heat you will see significant savings. More than anything, when choosing an insulation contractor, choose a trusted name that you know won’t use poor quality insulation materials, and will be as thorough as possible.
