Overlooking your home’s energy efficiency can create both structural and financial headaches. An inefficient home can affect comfort and drive up energy bills. A leaky, inefficient home can cause structural damage through water leaks and more. If you’re tired of higher-than-necessary energy bills and suffering in an uncomfortable home each winter, here are three ways to make your home more comfortable this winter.

1. Air Seal
   A leaky home can waste approximately 10 to 15 percent of a home’s heating dollars. Sealing air leaks around the home’s envelope and keeping conditioned air inside is one of the least expensive and most effective ways to help reduce energy loss. Sealing penetration points in the attic and around areas like doors, windows, electrical outlets, ducts and more will dramatically increase comfort.
2. Add Insulation to Your Attic
   Most homes are under insulated based on current building codes. Adding a fresh layer of blown-in fiberglass after sealing attic air leaks can further reduce your energy bills and help keep your home comfortable.
3. Check your Furnace
   Confirm your furnace is in good working order to uncover any problems that could arise and confirm it’s working as efficiently as possible. And remember to change your furnace filter!  A clean filter can reduce dust and help your furnace run more efficiently.
4. Insulate and Seal Your Crawl Space
   Crawl spaces are naturally cool and damp. Because they are in direct contact with the main floor of your house, the condition within your crawl space can affect your home’s comfort. As your home breathes from ground to sky, this cool and damp air is drawn into your home’s interior through tiny penetration points around your floor. This can bring down the internal temperature of your home and drive up your heating bills. A poorly insulated basement without proper air sealing can also affect your home's temperature, comfort and unnecessarily drive up heating bills
5. Upgrade Your Light Bulbs
   Take an inventory of your home’s light bulbs. You may be using inefficient bulbs that are using more energy than necessary. Upgrading to LED bulbs can reduce your energy bills – especially during winter’s shorter days and lights are on more than any other time of year.

Interested in making home energy improvements this winter? Contact us to schedule your free estimate!

Hurricane Harvey was the strongest storm to make landfall in the Texas Coastal Bend area since Hurricane Carla in September 1961. The flooding resulting from Harvey's flooding is one of the worst weather disasters in U.S. history. It’s estimated the storm damage will amount to billions of dollars.

Even though Hurricane Harvey is off the front page of daily news, there’s no doubt the impact of this storm is far from over. The real heavy lifting of recovery and reconstruction is underway, and will continue for quite some time.

With many connections to the Houston area, the founders of Southland Insulators and its affiliated companies have been moved to assist. To this end, Southland Insulators along with DeVere Insulation, Delmarva Insulation, Delmarva Spray Foam, Foam InSEALators, Liberty Insulation, DeVere Insulation Home Performance and The Fifth Fuel are donating $28,000 help with recovery efforts.

Jerry and Nancy Palmer along with Bob and Carolyn DeVere have selected two Texas charities to receive these funds – Samaritan’s Purse and Tomball Emergency Assistance Ministries. Each organization will receive $14,000 to aid in their mission of helping local families recover from this tragedy.

We are proud to support our local communities and support others during times of tragedy. If you are moved, we encourage you to donate to one of these Houston-based organizations to help with Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts.

When most people think of insulation, the first thing that comes to mind is fiberglass insulation, the most widely used type of insulation. For decades, fiberglass insulation has been used to insulate attics, walls and other areas of new and existing structures. You may think you know the ways fiberglass insulation can be used but there are new methods you don’t know about that increase its effectiveness even more at a reasonable price point:

• Loose Fill with Air Sealing – The woven fibers in this type of insulation do not inherently stop airflow. While fiberglass insulation adds r-value it does not keep conditioned air from escaping through penetration points. Combining fiberglass insulation with air sealing prevents conditioned air from escaping the home, helping reduce energy bills and wear and tear on your HVAC system. ENERGY STAR states sealing air leaks and insulating can save a homeowner on their energy bills.
• Blown in Wall System – In new home construction, many contractors choose to install fiberglass batt insulation in wall cavities. The blown-in wall system from Owens Corning takes wall insulation a step further. With this system, loose-fill fiberglass insulation is densely packed into the wall cavity behind a layer of plastic. This fully fills the wall cavity and reduces air gaps that naturally occur around batts. Many contractors take this system one step further by air sealing the wall cavity before installing insulation to increase energy efficiency even more.
• Flash and Batt – The flash and batt system (also known as a hybrid system) combines the best of fiberglass insulation and spray foam insulation in one application. During installation, spray foam insulation is applied to a cavity followed by a fiberglass batt. This system combines spray foam’s air sealing properties and the insulating benefits of fiberglass at a lower price point than installing full spray foam. 

There are many options to insulate your home or new construction project that you may know about. Contact our office to learn more about these options and others, and to schedule a free estimate.

As homes become more efficient, proper ventilation is increasingly important. Green building techniques and tighter building envelopes require proper air exchange to manage indoor air quality.

Why the increase in air quality problems? Older homes were “naturally” ventilated through uncontrolled air leaks, and building products were manufactured without flame retardants and other additives. Today’s building products have more additives and homes are built tighter compared to older homes. Tight building envelopes combined with the additives in construction materials require a controlled ventilation system to maintain optimal air quality and maintain a home’s energy efficiency.

There are many of factors that influence the type of ventilation system that is appropriate for a home. These can include local code requirements, building size, types of appliances, etc.

The four most common ventilation systems are:

• Exhaust Only – This type of system uses a small exhaust fan that is commonly placed in a kitchen or bathroom. This is programmed to run either continuously or intermittently to pull out stale air and moisture. These systems are low cost and quite easy to install.
• Supply Only – A supply only system includes a fan that brings fresh air into the home. The air escape happens through the natural air leaks in the home. A filter can be added to trap pollen and other outdoor air pollutants before they enter the home. A dehumidifier can be added inside the home to control indoor humidity levels.
• Balanced – A balanced system includes both exhaust and supply, controlling ventilation at both ends. This system includes separate fans to manage air supply and air exhaust. Overall, this is a better ventilation system than exhaust only or supply only system.
• Balanced with Heat Recovery – Like the balanced system, a balanced system with heat recovery will condition the incoming air prior to entering the home. This is a great system for cold climates, preventing cold air from being drawn into the home during winter.

Does your home have a ventilation system? Do you have questions about your home’s air sealing and ventilation? Contact us with any questions.

Summer fun is around the corner! Don’t let last year’s high summer energy bills affect this summer. There are many ways to help manage your summer energy bills that aren’t difficult! Here are a few simple things you can do today to improve the energy efficiency and comfort of your home.

1. TURN ON CEILING FANS. Running your ceiling fans help circulate the cooled air that’s in your home – and creates a slight breeze to make your home comfortable. Have a bath fan? Consider running this or adding a timer. Bath fans help pull humid air out of your home, helping to keep it even more comfortable.
2. TUNE UP YOUR HVAC SYSTEM. Your HVAC system may not be running efficiently. Schedule a service appointment with a qualified contractor. Don’t forget to replace your furnace filter! Does your home have a programmable thermostat? Setting a programmable thermostat to a higher setting during the day can save roughly ten percent on annual energy bills.
3. SEAL AIR LEAKS. Sealing air leaks helps keep cool air in and warm air out. Once air leaks are sealed this pays off year round by keeping cold winter air out and warm air in. Contact our office to schedule an estimate for air sealing.
4. GRILL OUT. You can help keep your home cool by cooking on an outdoor grill rather than in the kitchen. This is an easy way to reduce stress on your HVAC system and have some summer fun!
5. SEAL AIR DUCTS. If the ducts in your home are leaking, conditioned air has a hard time getting to the rooms in your house. This can result in uneven temps in your home and adjusting the thermostat, which can affect energy bills.

Don’t let another summer go by with high energy bills. Try some of these tips. Contact our office with questions on these tips or to schedule a free air sealing estimate.

At Southland Insulators, it has always been our goal to give back to our military community. With Memorial Day upon us, we humbly thank the brave souls and their families who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

Over the years we have been provided several opportunities to give back to current and former military members. These contributions have ranged from labor and material donations to building projects, to providing an Action Track Chair to a wounded veteran.  We would like to thank the following organizations for the opportunity to donate to their causes over the years.

• Bull Run Warrior Retreat 
• Gary Sinise Foundation
• Homes for Our Troops 
• The Independence Fund
• Operation Finally Home

We would also like to thank our vendor partners for their additional support, including Icynene, Johns Manville, and CertainTeed Saint-Gobain.

The story of American sacrifice continues each day, allowing each of us to live free in this country. This Memorial Day we wish you an enjoyable time with family and friends. We also hope you take time to reflect on the true meaning of this holiday.

From everyone at Southland Insulators, Happy Memorial Day!
God Bless the United States of America!

Do you or a family member suffer from asthma or asthma-related attacks? It’s estimated that 26 million Americans are affected by asthma or asthma-related conditions.

Research shows asthma attacks are directly linked to air quality. The lungs of asthma sufferers are extra sensitive to triggers like pollen, dust, mold, chemicals in the air, and more. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) estimates that the average person receives 72 percent of their exposure to poor air quality in their own home. When considering the significant amount of time we spend indoors, indoor air quality becomes even more important for those with breathing issues (and for everyone).

Air sealing your home can help improve indoor air quality. Air sealing keeps outside pollutants out of the home. This allows indoor air to be controlled and properly ventilated to help reduce asthma triggers inside your home.

Spray foam insulation is a great option to both insulate and seal air leaks. Spray foam provides an exceptional air seal, works as a thermal barrier (insulator) and helps control moisture issues. This improved air-tightness provides better control of indoor humidity, which reduces mold inside the home.

Have questions about your home’s indoor air quality? Contact our office to learn more.