Lewis Insulation Blog Posts

Insulate Your Home for Summer: After All, It’s National Home Improvement Month!

Posted by & filed under Residential Insulation.

May is National Home Improvement Month. So, why not include residential insulation in your Twin Cities home improvement plans? Spring is actually a great time of year to consider replacing and installing your home’s insulation. When some people think of residential insulation, they assume it’s only important when they need to keep their homes warm. But insulation also serves plenty of other purposes. It can help reduce the amount of outside noise you hear in your home, and it can also help keep your home cool in the summer. It can even help lower the cost of your utility bills. At Lewis Insulation, we are trusted residential insulation experts and can think of several reasons you should make sure your home’s insulation is ready to take on the summer months ahead.

residential insulation

Proper Ventilation

Ventilation is what helps get rid of the heat and humidity, drawing it out of your home. Proper residential insulation and ventilation play a key role in making sure this heat and humidity do not build up in your attic. And, insulation is what helps to keep the heat from the sun from entering your home in the first place.

Humidity

Humidity can get trapped in your attic due to the fact that heat rises. In order to cool down the home, the humidity and heat need somewhere to go once they reach your attic. Otherwise, your entire house can get uncomfortably hot. And, when you try to counteract this heat and humidity, you might end up running your air conditioner much more than you would have otherwise, leading to higher cooling bills.

Residential insulation contractors like the ones here at Lewis Insulation can come to your home to install the best kind of insulation that will help keep your home comfortable year-round. We can be sure the insulation we install will help keep your home comfortable no matter the season. And, May is a great time to do it! It’s before the intense heat hits and after the cold winter weather has gone.

There are many different factors that our residential insulation experts will look out for when deciding on what kind of insulation is best for your home. We will go over all of the options with you so that you are able to make an informed decision. After all, we offer a variety of insulation types including:

  • Fiberglass
  • Cellulose
  • Closed cell spray foam

Give us a call and rest easy knowing your home will stay cooler this summer. For more information about residential insulation in the Twin Cities, call us at Lewis Insulation at 763-477-2612 or you can contact us for a Free Estimate.

The Many Benefits of Replacing Your Attic Insulation

Posted by & filed under Attic Insulation.

Attic insulation in the Twin Cities is so important for so many reasons. With our cold winters and hot, humid summers, keeping your attic properly insulated keeps heat and air conditioning in, cutting energy bills by a possible 30%. But, just because you have insulation in your attic already, it does not mean it is doing what it was designed to do. Having your attic insulation assessed and upgraded can not only save you money, but improve a variety of other possible complications that can come with old, outdated insulation. At Lewis Insulation, we install high-quality fiberglass, foam and cellulose insulation.

attic insulation

If your home becomes warm quickly in the hotter months or if the attic gets too cold during the cooler months, chances are you need new insulation. When you have the experts at Lewis Insulation upgrade your attic’s insulation, you can expect year-round comfort. As experts in the industry for over 35 years, we have put together some of the many great benefits of replacing your attic insulation. Explore some of the benefits below:

Efficiency

Did you know that today, nearly 60% of homes in the US are not properly insulated? By having your attic insulation replaced, you can essentially ensure you are not letting money escape through the ceiling. Reduce your energy costs and help keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Proper attic insulation can also allow for even temperature distribution within the home as well as provide moisture control, and contribute to a more environmentally-friendly footprint for your home. It even has the potential to increase your home’s resale value.

Safety

Old, damaged insulation in your attic can be hosting a number of contaminants left by rodents. Due to possible disease and bacteria, these contaminants can be incredibly harmful to you and your family’s health. These contaminants can even grow and spread throughout the home if not put in check. If there is an odor present, you might very well need new attic insulation, as your current insulation may have been affected by rodents or other pests.

attic insulation

A Sound Structure

Old attic insulation can even begin to affect the structure of your home. Many of us adopt an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mentality when it comes to attic insulation. However, ignoring your insulation can cause damage to beams or wood frames where rotting or mold can occur. To ensure the structure of your home, consider having your current insulation removed and new insulation installed as soon as possible.

Call the experts at Lewis Insulation today! We can assess your attic insulation situation and recommend the best type of insulation for your home or business’ specific needs. We take pride in the work we do. Take a look at our project gallery and see the quality of high caliber work we provide.

Do you want more information on attic insulation in the Twin Cities? Call Lewis Insulation today at 763-477-2612 or you can contact us to get a Free Estimate.

Insulation and Proper Attic Ventilation

Posted by & filed under Attic Ventilation.

It is estimated that as many as 90 percent of American homes have moisture levels that exceed acceptable limits. Your home may benefit greatly from the installation of some insulation in your attic. Lewis Insulation can most certainly take a look as well as insulate your attic for you! If you feel your attic may be too wet and are considering attic ventilation for your Plymouth area home, give us a call!

Attic VentilationOne must precisely calculate the proper amount of venting needed to allow for proper attic ventilation. Insufficient ventilation leads to moisture issues during the winter months and cuts down on the overall efficiency of your energy usage during the summer months. It is normal to think that adding more insulation would assist in the overall effort to prevent winter and summer issues in attic ventilation. That is not the case, however.  Vents in the roof at points where insulation is installed allows for more opportunity for moisture to get in. Some venting is absolutely necessary on the roof but you do not want to add to it by installing more insulation. In fact, these seams can be the source of blowouts during hurricanes or be entry points for a wildfire.

So, just how much ventilation should you have in your attic? As a general rule, you should establish a 1:300 ratio in which every 300 square feet of ceiling space calls for 1 square foot of attic ventilation. Be cautious though, the elements—in control of air resistance—call the shots a bit also, possibly reducing ventilation area. Accessory items like grates, piping and others that sit on your roof may also be an issue in calculating and setting up true ventilation. Just any opening into the roof does not count as true ventilation.

Call us up at Lewis Insulation and we can certainly get you scheduled for a visit. We will come out and take a look to determine proper ventilation, whether you have it or not. Without exception, you should talk to a professional to determine what your home requires.

For more information on attic ventilation for your Plymouth home, Lewis Insulation at 763-477-2612, or you can contact us and get a Free Estimate.

Insulate that Metal Building to Keep Temperatures Regulated

Posted by & filed under Insulation Info.

At Lewis Insulation, we are frequently asked by business owners whether or not they should consider installing insulation for their Minneapolis metal-based buildings. These types of buildings are frequently found in the housing of animals (livestock), the protection of equipment (agricultural) and other general industrial tasks.

Insulation can provide a wide array of benefits for metal buildings which often are at the mercy of Mother Nature—however hot or cold it is outside it is proportionately hotter or colder than the outside air.

Take a look at the benefits insulation can provide for your metal building:

Absorb sound

The sounds that emerge within your metal buildings can echo loudly off of the walls and ceiling, creating a reverberation of sound in all directions. Insulation can help absorb these noises within the building and provide something of a mute for loud noises coming from outside of the building. An insulated metal building is a more peaceful, comfortable place for workers to operate in.

Control moisture

The drastic ups and downs of temperatures as well as the dropping of dew points can cause condensation to arise on cool metal surfaces. Metal buildings experience this on cool mornings, often resulting in a damp interior as the moisture condenses on the ceiling, dripping to the floor below. Insulating the ceiling can help prevent this from unfolding, both in keeping a temperature buffer and/or catching the moisture within, should it seep through.

Reduce heat transfer

The transfer of heat is an issue in metal buildings, with the extremes of temperature making heat a summer nuisance and cold a winter issue. Adding insulation can make for a warmer winter and a cooler summer within the metal walls once installation is installed as it helps reduce the metal’s heat transfer ability.

Rodent and bird nesting prevention

Having exposed beams and rafters that are desirable to rodents and birds (for nests), metal buildings are greatly benefitted by adding insulation. By filling in crevices with insulation, you can help deter these pests from making your building their new home.

No matter what type of metal building you want to add insulation to, Lewis Insulation has you covered. Whether you are part of the agricultural and farming industry or operate an airplane hangar—your barn, shed or other metal storage buildings likely require some degree of humidity and temperature control measures. We would likely install a spray foam type of insulation, applying wet and ultimately expanding into hard foam. A polyurethane blend, spray foam is perfect for the interiors of metal buildings.

For more information on commercial building insulation for your Minneapolis business, call Lewis Insulation at 763-477-2612, or you can contact us and get a Free Estimate.

The Science of Home Insulation

Posted by & filed under Residential Insulation.

In order to comprehend how insulation works within your home, one needs to grasp the concepts of general heat flow and three instruments that make it happen: Conduction, Convection and Radiation.

  • Conduction—Ways in which heat moves through materials. Think of pulling an item out of the oven—the heat felt through the oven mitt is an illustration of conduction. Home insulation slows conductive heat flow.
  • Convection—Ways heat circulates through liquids and gases. Hot air rises, cool air sinks. Home insulation slows convective heat flow.
  • Radiation—Refers to heat traveling in a straight line, heating anything solid that lies within its pathway. Home insulation reduces the acquisition of heat. It is most effective when directed toward airflow.

As a general rule, air travels from warmer to cooler until there is not a measurable difference in temperature. Thus, during the winter months hot air moves from heated areas to the colder unheated areas of your home—wherever there is a difference in temperature. Cold temperatures outside create the need for warmth inside, thus your home heating system compensates for the loss of heat. The opposite occurs during the hotter months of the year, the cold air lost is balanced out by your home cooling system. Home insulation is integral in decreasing this flow by offering resistance to the movement of heat.

All types of home insulation come with an “R-Value”, a rating applied to an insulation type’s ability to resist conductive heat flow. The higher the R-value, the more effective it is at insulating your home and is dependent upon the type of insulation, how thick it is and the density. So, the more layers of insulation stacked together and/or the more insulation in your home increases the overall R-value and thus, the overall resistance to heat flow.

A couple of factors will influence the R-value of your insulation. It comes down to how and where the insulation is placed. If compressed, or placed within the ceiling the R-value will be lesser than if the same piece was lying out in the open air, due to thermal bridging (area of an object which has a significantly higher heat transfer than the surrounding materials resulting in an overall reduction in thermal insulation of the object or building). So, when open gaps in a building are filled with insulation, they reduce convective heat loss.

A radiant barrier, looked upon as non-traditional insulation, reflects away the heat rather than absorbing it. So, a radiant barrier contains no R-value—the ability to reduce heat by reflecting it way from a space is the power of this type of home insulation.

For more information on home insulation in the Twin Cities area, call us at Lewis Insulation at 763-477-2612, or you can contact us and get a Free Estimate.