This year, Southland Insulators is proud to celebrate our 30th Anniversary. In lieu of a large celebration, we decided to make two special donations back to the community.

Our team made a donation to The Independence Fund to purchase an Action Track Chair for a wounded veteran. We are pleased to share an update about the donation to The Independence Fund. We recently learned that the Action Track Chair donated by Southland Insulators was received by an Army Corporal named Bret. Bret was injured in 2011 in Afghanistan.

In addition, we worked with Castlewood Builders and the Gary Sinise Foundation to insulate a new home for Captain Luis Avila, a veteran who was severely injured in service to our country. ON Veteran’s Day, there will be a special ribbon cutting for the Gary Sinise Foundation for Captain Luis Avila’s new home. We can’t think of a better way to honor our Veterans.

For more about our original donations and our 30-year history, click here to read our original blog post.

Congratulations to Bret and to Captain Avila. God Speed to them and their families.

Humbly,
Gerald R. Palmer, President
Southland Insulators

Winter is around the corner. Unless you’ve invested this year in home energy improvements, your home will be as inefficient and uncomfortable this winter as it was last winter.

If your home has a crawl space, sealing and insulating your crawl space can dramatically improve your home’s comfort, reduce energy bills and improve the quality of air inside your home.

Today’s building science proves that what’s beneath our home affects the comfort inside our home. A home’s natural airflow is from bottom to top (from the ground to sky). As your home naturally breathes, air is drawn up from the basement or crawl space, through the living area and out the attic. This natural airflow means air from a moist crawl space (and everything in the crawl space) flows up and into your home’s living area.

Here are three reasons to insulate your crawl space before winter:

1. Improved Air Quality
   Crawl spaces are naturally damp. As your home breathes, air from your crawl space flows into your home’s living space through penetration points around wiring, plumbing holes and more. This means the air in your crawl space is mingling with the air you breathe every day. Not only is this distasteful, it’s unhealthy. Air sealing and insulating your crawl space will improve the air quality will help keep pollutants out of your home.
2. Lower energy bills
   Does your furnace run more than you’d like during winter? This is a result of your HVAC system heating air from the crawl space that’s mingling with the air that’s already been heated. This means your HVAC system is continually working to maintain your home’s internal temperature. This results in higher energy bills – and more wear and tear on your HVAC system.
3. A more comfortable home
   An unfinished crawl space affects your home’s everyday comfort. Are your floors cold? Is your main living area significantly cooler than an upper level of your home? Sealing and insulating your crawl space will help. After a short time in an uncomfortable home, you’ll wish you’d invested in upgrading your crawl space.

You may have other questions about your crawl space. We welcome you to contact us to discuss your specific situation. Ready to be energy efficient with crawl space insulation? Contact us to schedule a free crawl space estimate. 

There is a lot to consider when insulating your home. The most important decision is choosing the right contractor.

Not all contractors are created equal. Choosing an experienced contractor can help avoid problems before, during and after your installation. Southland Insulators has vast experience installing spray foam insulation. These years of experience and number of spray foam jobs completed have allowed Southland Insulators to achieve Gold Circle status with Icynene, one of the industry’s top spray foam manufacturers.

Here’s what you can expect when hiring a Gold Circle contractor:

• Vast Spray Foam Experience. Not every contractor has the proper experience to install spray foam. An Icynene Gold Circle contractor installs a high number of spray foam jobs each year. This means our applicators stay on top of their craft each day so you can have the best install possible.
• Safe Installation Techniques. Following safe installation techniques is critical with any job – this is even more important with spray foam. Our team receives ongoing safety training and keeps up-to-date on the latest product information and trends in building science. This means you can rest easy knowing both your home and family are in good hands.
• Up-to-Date Equipment. A big part of spray foam installation success is keeping equipment up to date and well maintained. As a high-volume spray foam contractor we have the resources and skills to keep our equipment up-to-date and well maintained.

To learn more about Icynene and working with a Gold Circle contractor, click here. To get an estimate for your next spray foam project, contact our office.

When it comes to home improvement projects or building a new home, it’s hard to know you’re choosing the best contractor for your job. How do you know the company is reputable and will be there to handle a problem that could come up down the road? Can you trust them to show up on the day the work is to be performed?

Don’t let the process of hiring an insulation contractor become overwhelming. Here are some tips to help ensure you’re making the right choice:

• Check their experience. It’s important to know your contractor has experience in residential insulation. In today’s economy, there are many one-man operations that don’t have the experience to properly install your type of project. Check references and work history to be certain you’re choosing a qualified contractor.
• Building science savvy. A good insulation contractor will have a deep knowledge of building science. They will be able to speak clearly about your home’s overall energy performance and answer questions about topics like air sealing, mechanical ventilation, indoor air quality and more.
• Insured and licensed. It goes without saying that an insulation contractor should hold the proper insurance and licensing to work on your home. If you have any doubt, ask.
• Customer-focused. It’s never too early to receive great service. A professional contractor will return your calls in a timely fashion, answer your questions and fully explain your project estimate.

Southland Insulators has extensive insulation experience, is up to date on new insulation technologies, is properly licensed and insured, and cares about providing great customer service. To schedule a free estimate for your insulation project, contact our office.

Today’s consumer can find a variety of reviews and ratings of local service providers. Some reviews are verified while many are not. It can be challenging for a customer to find accurate information about a local service provider.

One rating source we suggest to our customers is Best Pick Reports.

Best Pick Reports is a free, annual guide featuring independently researched and recommended local home service providers. Consumers have access to third-party data at no cost so they can choose a high-quality home service provider to meet their needs.

Best Pick Reports conducts consumer research to evaluate and the performance of a home service provider. Contractors are invited to be part of Best Picks after the consumer research is completed and the contractor has met Best Pick Reports standards.

In order to remain a Best Pick, companies must maintain an A grade based on their customer research. The contractor must also maintain proper insurance and licenses.

Southland Insulators is proud to be rated as a Best Pick since 2010. To see our Best Pick reviews, visit the Best Pick Reports website.

Having trouble keeping your house cool in the summer and warm in winter? Maintaining your home's temperature goes beyond insulation and r-value. While adding r-value to a home is an important part of energy efficiency, it doesn’t provide full energy savings. Air leaks waste energy and money.

Learn more about air leakage and energy efficiency in the video below. Have questions about your home’s efficiency? Contact us for help.

Southland Insulators has a long history of insulating commercial, multifamily and new residential insulation projects. Did you know we are also experts in home performance and energy efficiency?

We have a full home performance division dedicated to increasing the energy performance of existing homes. Welcome to The Fifth Fuel.

The team at The Fifth Fuel has over 30 years experience in home performance and are highly skilled in getting to the root of home energy efficiency issues. The Fifth Fuel is certified by RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network), ensuring a high level of expertise on every project.

Their services are designed to make homes more energy efficient, comfortable, and durable. These services include attic insulation, wall insulation and insulating basements. The Fifth Fuel also encapsulates crawl spaces which can save energy and improve indoor air quality

To learn more about The Fifth Fuel, click here to visit The Fifth Fuel website.

The Southland Insulators team takes safety seriously. We are committed to keeping our team safe and being responsible members of our community. As part of this commitment, we hold regular safety trainings for our team.

On Saturday, July 30th the drivers on our installer crews attended a defensive driving seminar. With over 40 drivers in attendance, we covered a variety of tips for our drivers and are looking forward to another training to include drivers from our Commercial and Fifth Fuel divisions.

Southland Insulators is proud to celebrate our 30th Anniversary in 2016.  As we reflect on this significant milestone, we want to take a look back at the legacy of our company.

I had been President and Partner in Metro Building Supply starting in 1978. That business grew from 3.5 million in sales to over 54 million in sales when it was sold in 1985.  After a short retirement Nancy and I opened an insulation contracting business called Southland Insulators in 1986.  My vision was to build a company based on loyalty to employees, customers & vendors.  We wanted to be the leader in bringing the best of building science to our clients, especially in the areas of Energy Efficiency and Air Sealing.

In 1988 Southland acquired DeVere Insulation in Baltimore and a great partner in Bob DeVere.  In 1996 I, along with 13 other contractors from across the country, formed the National Insulation Contractors Exchange (N.I.C.E.) to promote independent insulation contractors by sharing best practices and pulling other resources.

As the company grew we expanded into Delaware, Pennsylvania & West Virginia.  We also expanded our product base for Fiberglass (while staying true to our core values) into Cellulose and Spray Foam. This focus on only insulation has enabled Southland Insulators, DeVere Insulation and Delmarva Insulation to become the largest independent insulation contractors in their respective states.

Our success is a result of many factors—our loyal customer base, our dedicated employees past and present who deliver exceptional service, and our vendor partners and business colleagues who have supported us over the years.  On behalf of all of us at Southland Insulators, thank you.

Action Track Chair

In lieu of a large celebration, we have decided instead to donate to The Independence Fund to purchase an Action Track Chair for a wounded veteran.  We will also be working with Castlewood Builders and the Gary Sinise Foundation to insulate a new home for Captain Luis Avila. Captain Avila served 5 combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.  On December 27, 2011, while leading his team, a mounted improvised explosive device detonated nearby.  Three of his fellow soldiers were killed by the blast and two were severely wounded.  Luis himself suffered an amputation of his left leg, two strokes, two heart attacks and severe lack of oxygen, which caused anoxic brain damage.  Luis was in a coma for 40 days.  Although the doctors felt he would not recover, his wife Claudia and three sons stayed by his side.  On February 13, 2012 Luis opened his eyes for the first time.  He continues to work hard in extensive therapy at Walter Reed National Medical Center.

Today he can see, speak, eat, laugh and tell jokes.  We feel honored to be a small part in helping Captain Avila and his family.  We would also like to thank Icynene Spray Foam for their donation for the materials to make this happen.

As we move into our 4th decade as an independent insulation contractor, we are mindful of the ever changing environment, the use of technology and the latest in Building Science knowledge.  At the end of the day this is still a people business and Southland Insulators will continue to conduct business as we have for 30 years by:

1. Continuing to hire the best in the business.
2. Pursuing those customers that value a trusted relationship.
3. Representing our vendors with honesty and integrity.

Looking forward to the next 30 years.

Very Truly Yours,
Gerald R. Palmer