Insulation

Insulation is essential in keeping your home dry and warm. It provides resistance to heat flow. The more heat flow resistance your insulation provides, the lower your heating and cooling costs.

Heat flows naturally from a warmer to a cooler space. In the winter, this heat flow moves directly from all heated living spaces to adjacent unheated attics, garages, basements, and even to the outdoors. Heat flow can also move indirectly through interior ceilings, walls, and floors – wherever there is a difference in temperature. During the cooling season, heat flows from the outdoors to the interior of a house.

To maintain comfort, the heat lost in the winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gained in the summer must be removed by your cooling system. Properly insulating your home will decrease this heat flow by providing an effective resistance to the flow of heat.

This resistance of the insulation is measured by the R-value.

Where to insulate

Many older homes have less insulation than homes built today. Adding more insulation in attics, walls, or the foundation can reduce energy bills.

• Information from energysavers.gov about adding insulation to an existing home
• Information from energysavers.gov on selecting insulation for a new home

Also visit our home calculators page to see the insulation calculator.

Types of insulation

Source: Department of Energy's Types of Insulation page

• Blanket – batts and rolls

  • Where: Unfinished walls, including foundation walls, and floors and ceilings.
  • Installation method: Fitted between studs, joists, and beams.
  • Price:Depends on size, R-value and installation methods.
  • More info: www.energysavers.gov

• Foam board or rigid foam

  • Where: Unfinished walls, including foundation walls; floors and ceilings; unvented low-slope roofs.
  • Installation method: Interior applications must be covered with 1/2-inch gypsum board or other building-code approved material for fire safety. Exterior applications must be covered with weatherproof facing.
  • Price: Depends on size, R-value and installation methods.
  • More info: www.energysavers.gov

• Loose-fill

  • Where: Enclosed existing wall or open new wall cavities; unfinished attic floors; hard-to-reach places.
  • Installation method: Blown into place using special equipment; sometimes poured in.
  • Price: Depends on size, R-value and installation methods.
  • More info: www.energysavers.gov

• Sprayed foam and foamed-in-place

  • Where: Enclosed existing wall or open new wall cavities; unfinished attic floors.
  • Installation method: Applied using small spray containers or in larger quantities as a pressure sprayed (foamed-in-place) product.
  • Price: Depends on size, R-value and installation methods.
  • More info: www.energysavers.gov

For more information, contact:

Bloomington Housing and Redevelopment Authority
1800 West Old Shakopee Road
Bloomington, MN 55431-3027
PH: 952-563-8941, TTY: 952-563-8740
E-mail: hra@ci.bloomington.mn.us

Remodeling Guide HOME

Home | Contact us | Site map | Search
Web and accessibility policies | Website feedback