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.