5 Signs that your Home is Under-Insulated
One of the most overlooked aspects of your home is the attic insulation – sitting at the top of your home, it is easy to ignore. However, when your home is under-insulated, it can pose a number of problems around the house from fluctuating temperatures from floor to floor or ice dams on the exterior of the roof. It is important to keep track of when it is time to replace your attic insulation so that you can avoid damages to your Markham home and keep it a comfortable living space all year round.
Interested in saving big while doing home improvements? With the Enbridge Home Energy Conservation program, you could qualify for up to $5000 in rebates and a free attic insulation. With this opportunity, you can complete more home improvements while getting rebates to help finance these projects!
If you’re not sure if you need a new attic insulation, then keep reading below to learn about the 5 signs that your home is under-insulated. These signs will help you understand the state of your home and help you determine if it is time to get a new attic insulation.
Why are my Energy Bills randomly increasing?
Your energy bills are calculated based on the working capacity of your heating units. When your attic insulation is getting old and broken down, it will result in areas not being protected–requiring your heating systems to make up for it by running overtime, resulting in huge increases in your bills.
Fluctuating Temperatures
Have you noticed that your living room is significantly warmer than your bedrooms? Chances are, your home is being affected by the lack of proper attic insulation. You can test this by simply walking around in your home and if you feel like you need a sweater when you walk up the stairs, then this applies to you.
Besides the general temperature of your home, you want to look at the walls, floors and ceilings. The touch test is a way for you to quickly analyze the interiors of your home. If properly insulated, the entirety of your home should feel warm. If you feel the exterior of your home, it should feel cold because the insulation is trapping the heat inside the house.
Rodents and Insects
During the summer months, it is normal to find more insects in your home than usual – but if it is the middle of winter and you find yourself capturing ants and hearing mice in the interior of your walls, it is time to inspect your insulation. These critters enter through the tiny crevices of your home and this is also how the heat can escape. By insulating your attic you can ensure that these invasions are avoided.
My Ceiling is Leaking!
If water is leaking into your attic — or worse, into your ceiling — your insulation may be the problem. Many issues can arise from this such as mold forming and increasing leakage problems, resulting in high costs to fix if the insulation is not taken care of.
Ice Dams
During the winter, you might see icicles hanging from your house but when they start to look like huge, piercing swords, they might be ice dams. Ice dams exist when the heat from your house escapes and melts the snow on your roof quickly, resulting in an increase in icicles. As they build up, they get bigger and more dangerous — hence the term, ice dams. It can pose a safety concern to you when you are walking underneath.
