Why Palm Beach Professional Contractors?
- Professional insulation installers experienced in floor applications
- Palm Beach Professional home insulation contractors are licensed and fully insured
- Help with insulation projects nationwide to make homes energy efficient
- The #1 installer of insulation in the United States
- Nationwide distribution of high quality, affordable insulation products
ATTIC INSULATION SERVICES
Attic spaces are usually hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Without proper attic insulation, you could be wasting money and energy. As much as 85% of the heat lost in a house passes through the attic. Installing insulation in an attic can improve energy efficiency, lower utility bills, and add resale value to your home. Contact Palm Beach Professional Contractors today for all your home attic insulation needs.
Where to Install Attic Insulation
In an unfinished attic, insulation should be placed over the floor joists. Consideration should also be given to insulating the rafters. Attic doors can also be insulated to protect air flow through the door itself. In finished attic spaces, insulation should be placed between the studs of knee walls, along exterior walls and the roof, and in ceilings.
Attic Insulation and R-Values
An R-value is the measure of an insulation’s ability to resist heat flow. Higher R-values indicate better insulation performance. Older homes often have less than the recommended level of insulation in the attic. Proper attic insulation at the recommended R-value for your climate zone can help reduce heat loss. Contact Palm Beach Professional Contractors for an evaluation of your attic’s current insulation levels.
Palm Beach Professional Contractors
Interior and exterior walls, particularly in older homes, can often be lacking in insulation. A lack of wall insulation can result in noise transfer between rooms and decreased energy efficiency throughout the house. Palm Beach Professional Contractors will work with homeowners to evaluate their current levels of insulation and make recommendations for installing additional wall insulation where it is needed. To get started on a wall insulation project, contact Palm Beach Professional Contractors today!
Choose the Right Wall Insulation
There are many different choices for wall insulation materials. Selecting the right insulation product often depends on the application and the walls that require insulation. Palm Beach professional Contractors often installs rigid board, spray foam, blown-in, and fiberglass insulation in interior and exterior walls. For retrofit wall insulation, drill-and-fill application is often the best choice. Contact Palm Beach professional Contractors, and our home insulation experts can recommend the right insulation product for your home.
Installing Insulation in Exterior Walls
If your home feels drafty in the winter or hot in the summer, a lack of exterior wall insulation could be the problem. Homes built before 1960 often have little to no insulation in their walls. Installing insulation in exterior walls is often a project that is done at the same time as replacement of exterior siding. Palm Beach professional Contractors can also retrofit exterior walls with insulation using a drill-and-fill application.?
Pollutants and Sources
Typical pollutants of concern include:
Combustion byproducts such as carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and environmental tobacco smoke.
Substances of natural origin such as radon, pet dander, and mold.
Biological agents such as molds.
Pesticides, lead, and asbestos.
Ozone (from some air cleaners).
Various volatile organic compounds from a variety of products and materials.
Most pollutants affecting indoor air quality come from sources inside buildings, although some originate outdoors.
Indoor sources (sources within buildings themselves).
Combustion sources in indoor settings, including tobacco, wood and coal heating and cooking appliances, and fireplaces, can release harmful combustion byproducts such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter directly into the indoor environment.
Cleaning supplies, paints, insecticides, and other commonly used products introduce many different chemicals, including volatile organic compounds, directly into the indoor air.
Building materials are also potential sources, whether through degrading materials (e.g., asbestos fibers released from building insulation) or from new materials (e.g., chemical off-gassing from pressed wood products). Other substances in indoor air are of natural origin, such as radon, mold, and pet dander.
Outdoor sources: Outdoor air pollutants can enter buildings through open doors, open windows, ventilation systems, and cracks in structures. Some pollutants come indoors through building foundations. For instance, radon forms in the ground as naturally occurring uranium in rocks and soils decays. The radon can then enter buildings through cracks or gaps in structures.
Harmful smoke from chimneys can re-enter homes to pollute the air in the home and neighborhood. In areas with contaminated ground water or soils, volatile chemicals can enter buildings through the same process.
Volatile chemicals in water supplies can also enter indoor air when building occupants use the water (e.g., during showering, cooking).
Finally, when people enter buildings, they can inadvertently bring in soils and dusts on their shoes and clothing from the outdoors, along with pollutants that adhere to those particles.
Other Factors Affecting Indoor Air Quality
In addition, several other factors affect indoor air quality, including the air exchange rate, outdoor climate, weather conditions, and occupant behavior.
The air exchange rate with the outdoors is an important factor in determining indoor air pollutant concentrations. The air exchange rate is affected by the design, construction, and operating parameters of buildings and is ultimately a function of infiltration (air that flows into structures through openings, joints, and cracks in walls, floors, and ceilings and around windows and doors), natural ventilation (air that flows through opened windows and doors), and mechanical ventilation (air that is forced indoors or vented outdoors by ventilation devices, such as fans or air handling systems).
Outdoor climate and weather conditions combined with occupant behavior can also affect indoor air quality. Weather conditions influence whether building occupants keep windows open or closed and whether they operate air conditioners, humidifiers, or heaters, all of which can affect indoor air quality. Certain climatic conditions can increase the potential for indoor moisture and mold growth if not controlled by adequate ventilation or air conditioning.
Effects on Human Health
Health effects associated with indoor air pollutants include:
Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat.
Headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
Respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer.
The link between some common indoor air pollutants (e.g., radon, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, Legionella bacterium) and health effects is very well established.
Radon is a known human carcinogen and is the second leading cause of lung cancer.4, 5
Carbon monoxide is toxic, and short-term exposure to elevated carbon monoxide levels in indoor settings can be lethal.6
Episodes of Legionnaires' disease, a form of pneumonia caused by exposure to the Legionella bacterium, have been associated with buildings with poorly maintained air conditioning or heating systems.7, 8
Numerous indoor air pollutants—dust mites, mold, pet dander, environmental tobacco smoke, cockroach allergens, particulate matter, and others—are “asthma triggers,” meaning that some asthmatics might experience asthma attacks following exposure.9
While adverse health effects have been attributed to some specific pollutants, the scientific understanding of some indoor air quality issues continues to evolve.
One example is “sick building syndrome,” which occurs when building occupants experience similar symptoms after entering a particular building, with symptoms diminishing or disappearing after they leave the building. These symptoms are increasingly being attributed to a variety of building indoor air attributes.
Researchers also have been investigating the relationship between indoor air quality and important issues not traditionally thought of as related to health, such as student performance in the classroom and productivity in occupational settings.10
Another research area that is evolving is “green building” design, construction, operation, and maintenance that achieves energy efficiency and enhances indoor air quality.