Winter is Ending… and so is City Utilities’ Limited Time Insulation Rebate
Time is running out to take advantage of our limited time insulation rebate! Don’t miss your chance to get 50%, up to $500, back on your insulation upgrades! This offer ends February 28.
A little extra insulation can go a long way in giving your furnace a break, and your wallet, too, when the utility bill arrives. Adding insulation is the most cost-effective way to make your home more energy efficient. Even if you’ve added insulation to your home before, you want to evaluate it every 10 years.
Here’s everything you need to know about upgrading your home’s insulation.
Insulation works because it slows heat flow. Heat flows from warmer to cooler until there is no longer a temperature difference. During winter, heat flows from warm living spaces to adjacent unheated attics, garages, basements, and outside through ceilings, walls and floors – wherever there is a difference in temperature. Without the proper amount and type of insulation, you’re losing all that hard earned heat from the furnace.
The thermal resistance or R-value of any insulating material is the key to understanding how well your home is insulated. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness. By installing more insulation in your home, you’re increasing the R-value and the resistance to heat flow, which means less heat can escape your home. The recommended R-values for a Springfield home are R-38 for the ceiling, R-13 for walls, R-19 for floors and R-13 for crawlspace walls.
In addition to the R-value, there are two types of insulation that are common in Springfield – fiberglass and cellulose.
Cellulose is a loose-fill insulation typically used in attics and to fill building cavities such as walls and cathedral ceilings. It looks like fluffy, gray, papery material that is primarily made from recycled newsprint. Cellulose insulation yields an R-value of 3.1 to 3.7 per inch, which means you’ll need 12 to 14 inches for the recommended R-38 in an attic.
Fiberglass insulation consists of extremely fine glass fibers and can be found as both loose-fill blown and fiberglass batts or rolls. It can be white, yellow or pink, depending on the manufacturer. Fiberglass insulation typically has an R-value of 2.5 to 3.8 per inch, which means you’ll need 14 to 16 inches for the recommended R-38 in an attic.
Not ready to upgrade your insulation just yet? No problem—CU’s offers a year-round insulation rebate of 20%, up to $300, of the total cost of the insulation upgrades.
