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Insulation
Insulation acts as thermal blanket for your home. Without sufficient levels of insulation, heat is able to pass through the building materials that make up your walls, cielings much more quickly. This transfer of heat through your home's materials is known as "conduction." When heat is able to rapidly "conduct" through your home's building materials, more energy is required to keep the temperature at a comfortable level. The secondary results are increased energy expenses and more pollution. Fortunately, a wide range of insulation products exist in the local market. Some of which can even be added to closed wall cavities (if your home was built before 1970, chances are your levels of insulation are insufficient. That is, if you have any insulation in certain places at all!). A home energy audit is a great place to start to determine if you need insulation added to your home.

Learn more about energy audits from the State of Michigan Energy Office. The role of insulation in the home can also be explored by following our Building Science Links.

The Environmental House can help you decide on an insulation product as well as a sufficient level for your application. To discuss your upcoming project, contact the Environmental House staff for a consultation.

To check on the availability of environmentally friendly insulation products locally, check out our Green Building Product Locator.