How to get natural cooling through better insulation?

In order to get natural cooling through insulation, you need to tightly insulate not only your walls but also your attic and your floors. In other words, you need to make sure your house is all sealed like an envelope. After that, you should deal with the windows, as well.

Once you have your home all nice and insulated, you will be surprised how much easier it will be to cool your house down. You can choose some of the air conditioning systems, but you need to have them installed by an expert.

Somebody who doesn’t know their installation that well may ruin your insulation while trying to attach the air conditioning system.

Look for experts at the Service Seeking website and ask them for air conditioning installation quotes. You will soon realise how much that costs and how they can help you. Pick the best one and start cooling your home.

Does insulation help cooling?

Absolutely. Home insulation helps you cool down your home in two ways – first, it prevents the heat from coming in, and second, it prevents the cool air from slipping out.

When you are using a good air conditioner, you also have the added benefit of good insulation. Namely, your air conditioner actually works on the principle of recycling the indoor air and using the refrigerant to eliminate the heat from the air.

Therefore, if the outdoor air keeps coming in, your air conditioner will work extra hard to cool it down. This means it will work non-stop as new air will keep leaking in. That can cost a fortune in electricity bills.

What is the best insulation material?

Different types of insulation materials will work better for different homes. However, they will all help the efficiency of your air conditioner and help keep your home cool.

You have bulk insulation, and you have insulation panels. Insulation panels are more expensive but also more elegant in installation and much easier. When it comes to bulk insulation, the most commonly used materials are:

• Fibreglass
• Cellulose
• Polyurethane foam
• Mineral wool
• Polystyrene

Fibreglass

The main advantages of fibreglass are that it is cheap and makes for very good thermal insulation. However, it can be dangerous when inhaled, so it should be installed by somebody with a lot of experience.

Cellulose

This is another amazing option, and it is quote safe because it is fire-resistant. This eco-friendly material is also a bit tricky to apply, and you should definitely hire a professional to do it. It is cheap and made from recycled materials, but it can also cause allergies in some people.

Polyurethane foam

If you are looking for an environmentally friendly way to insulate your home, this is not it. While it is a good insulator and relatively easy to install, it definitely is not eco-friendly. Today, there are foams that are created so that they are easier on the ozone, but they are still behind cellulose in terms of being green.

Mineral wool

When talking about mineral wool, people usually talk about all sorts of batted insulation. Mineral wool became an umbrella term for all sorts of wool: stone, glass and the like. However, the downside of mineral wool is that it is not fire resistant, so it can be a fire hazard.

Polystyrene

This type of insulation, in most cases, turns out to be styrofoam panels. These panels are easily installed and handled. They make good thermal insulators, but they are not very safe or environmentally friendly.

What is a good R rating for insulation?

R rating marks the resistance of the material to heat flow. The higher the R rating or material is, the better insulator it makes, and the better the insulator, the cooler the home with less expensive air conditioning.

The good rating for insulation depends on several factors. The most important ones are:

• The climate where your home is.
• Whether you are using the material to insulate your attic, floor or walls.

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Can you add insulation to existing walls?

Yes. You can add insulation to existing walls even without tearing them down. Usually, this is done by lifting the tiles over the wall cavity just enough for the hose to be able to enter the cavity. Once in, the wall cavity is filled through the hose.

Sometimes, you have inaccessible walls. In that case, tiny holes are drilled in the wall, and the material is pumped through there. Insulating your existing walls will definitely help you cool down your home. It can improve your energy rating by two stars.

If you notice that your air conditioner is spending too much electricity and that your home is not properly cooled, your first question should be whether your home is well insulated. If it isn’t, you can start by insulating your existing walls.

Which type of attic insulation is the best?

The same insulation materials that are used for the rest of your home can be used in your attic. You should choose the type of material that matches your budget and that you like the most.

However, no matter which material you use for your attic, make sure that the R rating is not below 4. That is the bare minimum for Australian homes.

Can you put new insulation over old?

It is possible to add new insulation over old. That is something that has to be done from time to time when you realise that the old insulation is damaged or simply not enough.

All these efforts to insulate your home properly pay off in money and comfort. Your electricity bills will drop down, just like your home temperature in the summer months.

When choosing an air conditioning system for your home and you want to size your rooms, talk to an air-con installer and let them know what type of insulation you have. They can help you with your aircon choice.

Ask for the air conditioner installation quotes from Service Seeking experts, as well as some tips about your best air con choices.