Insulation is often an overlooked part of the building process. Often other builders just resort to the standard building code. There’s nothing wrong with that, but in today’s society, and especially with Manitoba winters, energy efficiency is very important.
Costs of hydro and other energy sources will continue to go up. A bit of extra cost, and effort, in the beginning can go a long way in the future.
The Best Time To Think About Energy Efficiency
The best time to think about insulation is during a new home build. It is the most economical time to make energy efficient additions to your home. Retrofitting is extremely difficult and costly. Whereas it can all be done correctly right from the start.
Insulation is one of the biggest factors of energy efficiency. Some common insulation upgrades that we do are:
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- Extra blown in insulation in the attic
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- Blow in spyder insulation in the walls. This increases the R-Value in a 2×6 wall to approximately R-24, which is 20% more energy efficient than a standard 2 x 6 insulation.
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- Rigid insulation on the exterior of the foundation walls
- Rigid insulation on the exterior of the main and second floor
The rigid insulation we find is the best bang for your buck for insulation upgrades. While a 2“ rigid insulation only has an R value of 10, we find it performs at a higher level as it causes a thermal break from the elements. All of these factors translate into better heating efficiency and lower heating and cooling costs.
ICF Basement (a.k.a. Foam Block)
ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) basements are when concrete is poured into a form that looks like lego blocks which have a foam on either side. It’s like having rigid insulation on the inside and outside of your basement walls.
These ICF blocks can also be used right up to the rafters to give you even more energy efficiency, and a home that is built like a bomb shelter.
Give Insulation Some Thought
Regardless of the type of home you are building, energy efficiency is always important. In the excitement of picking out what’s going on the walls of your dream home, don’t forget to think about what’s going on inside them. If you are having trouble deciding on your new home insulation let Pine Creek help you with it. Contact us to get started on building your new home today.
Ever Wonder What’s Involved In Building Your Dream Home?
If you want to learn more about what’s involved in building your dream home I suggest that you sign up for our Home Builder Walkthrough, it’s a once a week email series that walk you through all the stages of building a house, and will answer a lot of questions you may not have thought of yet.
