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Dana Zurbuchen

spray foam insulation

Eight Benefits of Spray Foam Insulation in Birmingham

By Uncategorized

spray foam insulationWhether building a new home or settled in your current home, it is important to consider if your Birmingham home is insulated properly. Proper home insulation can make a big difference in the quality of your home and your time spent there. There are a variety of insulation types to choose from: fiberglass, cellulose or spray foam insulation, but the most popular insulation installation choice in Birmingham is spray foam insulation.

Spray foam insulation or spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is a versatile, convenient insulation solution. When sprayed, the foam expands to fill cracks and gaps throughout your home, in places such as the attic, walls and ceilings. It comes in two forms: open cell and closed cell. Open cell spray foam is less dense than closed cell spray foam and they are both excellent for insulating homes.

As you consider updating the insulation in your home, consider the benefits of spray foam insulation:

Deters moisture to prevent mold and mildew

Without proper insulation, water and moisture can seep into your home through walls and openings around pipes and vents. This moisture can often ruin your insulation and cause mold or mildew to grow.

Unlike other types of insulation, spray foam is unaffected by moisture and retains all its properties if it gets wet. Because it adheres to every nook and cranny and then hardens, it prevents water and moisture from entering your home, keeping it nice and dry.

Saves you money while improving your comfort

When sprayed, spray foam quickly expands and dries to block not just air and water, but heat and cold too. Since there are no holes for air to escape through, your HVAC system will not have to work as hard to keep your home at a consistent temperature throughout the year. This helps lower your energy bills and keep your family comfortable through the long, hot, muggy summers and cold, wet Birmingham winters. The cost of spray foam insulation is higher upfront than other insulation types but saves you money in the long run.

Improves indoor air quality

Spray foam insulation prevents allergens, such as dust, mold, mildew and pollen and other pollutants, from entering your home through the walls. With improved air quality, allergy and asthma conditions and chemical sensitivities are reduced, improving your family’s comfort and health.

Easy to install and long lasting

Spray foam insulation installation is easy and completed within a day. Our expert team of spray foam insulation contractors in Birmingham use a spray foam gun to spray insulation into needed areas, including hard-to-reach places.

It’s not just easy to install but is made to last for decades. Unlike traditional insulation which loses its effectiveness over time, spray foam insulation does not break down over the years but retains its shape and strength.

Environmentally friendly

Installing spray foam insulation is the “green” way to go. You will consume less materials overtime since spray foam is long lasting and your carbon footprint will be reduced because your home will consume less energy.

Adds extra strength to your home

Spray foam is very dense and works like glue to adhere to floors, walls and ceilings. This gives your home an extra layer of protection from the outside elements and creates sturdier walls, increasing the quality and safety of your home.

Reduces sound

Looking for some peace and quiet in your home? Spray foam absorbs sound waves and helps sound-proof your walls from outside noise so you can keep your neighbors’ party outside where it belongs.

Keeps creepy crawlies and rodents out

Spray foam insulation fills in the tiny cracks and crevices in your home that creepy crawlies and rodents like to use as entryways. It creates a barrier that prevents pests from entering your home and leaving their waste behind.

Call EcoLogical Insulation for your insulation solutions

At EcoLogical Insulation we provide Birmingham homeowners with the highest quality spray foam insulation installation services in Alabama. Founded in2008, we pride ourselves on being the best spray foam contractors in Birmingham. We strive to provide exemplary customer service and spray foam insulation installation to all our Birmingham customers. Contact us today to learn more.

Is Your Crawl Space Safe for Humans or a Haven for Pests?

By News

When you think of crawl spaces, what comes to mind? If you envision a musty, drippy, dark area lurking beneath your house, then it may be time for crawl space sealing. Perhaps you’re reluctant to visit the crawl space because these signs and symptoms are becoming noticeable:

  • Mold sightings.
  • Mildew/musty smell in basement or crawl space.
  • Spongy or separating floors.
  • Heating and cooling bills are spiking.
  • Damp or wet insulation.
  • Condensation on windows, giving the appearance of sweaty windows.
  • Increased insect sightings.

Unsealed crawl spaces create an ideal environment for all sorts of flora and fauna to make your home their home. Rodents, ants, spiders, termites, and other multi-legged creatures seek out ideal living conditions, and your unfinished crawl space is a preferred location. Additionally, moisture seeping in through your porous cement foundation provides the perfect environment for mold, mildew, and other fungi to claim your space. The result: you’ll build an excellent habitat for creatures that has a negative effect on your home and your family.

Even if you haven’t spotted these problems, your crawl space is still vulnerable – especially in the warmth and humidity of the Birmingham area! Now is the time for crawl space sealing before critters creep in.

Once the crawl space sealing system is completed, you can expect many of the following long-term benefits:

  • Protection from mold.
  • Improve air quality.
  • Avoid structural damage.
  • Reduce energy costs.
  • Greater home comfort year round.
  • Keeping a wide variety of pests out.

A bonus: combined with wall and attic insulation, homeowners can increase energy efficiency and reduce utility bills.

Don’t let your crawl space turn into a dungeon! The EcoLogical Insulation team of Birmingham has a sealed crawl space system designed to protect your home. Contact EcoLogical Insulation of Birmingham today!

The Benefits of Spray Foam Insulation

By News

For households and businesses in the South, heat is your year-round nemesis. In the winter, your well-heated home is mocking you by seeping all of that warmth to the outdoors. In the summer, the typical Southern summer heat is creeping back into your cool house. As a result, your energy inefficiency is diminished and your utility bills – and personal comfort – are unpleasant. It’s a rivalry as old as time.

If you are tired of the battle, then insulation is your answer. There are three well-known insulation types:

Fiberglass insulation: the most common insulation found in homes; made of molten glass that is spun into fibers. Available in batts and rolls.

Cellulose insulation: the oldest form of insulation made from recycled or pulverized paper and cloth, treated with fire retardant. It is blown into attic and wall spaces.

Spray foam insulation: is a mixture of liquid ingredients that react to produce a foam-like substance that spray foam insulation contractors in Birmingham, AL use as insulation. Once it’s applied, the spray foam expands quickly, filling in even the smallest cracks and gaps. The foam hardens to create a strong barrier, designed to tackle your ongoing rivalry with heat and humidity. Spray foam insulation contractors use two types of spray foam insulation:

Open-cell spray foam – this insulation dries with an open-particle finish. This product allows moisture to distribute evenly, provides an R-value (the resistance to heat loss or heat gain) of 3.8 per inch, has a lower density, and offers better acoustics between walls, floors, and ceilings. Because of the open-cell structure, minimal coverage of 3.75” is needed to achieve its ideal R-value.

Closed-cell spray foam – is an insulation with a firmer finish once applied and dried. This high-density foam reduces air infiltration and air movement between the indoors and outdoors. Its open-cavity structure strengthens a structure and provides an R-value of 7. Only closed-cell spray foam creates a fully sealed system that acts as an air- and vapor-barrier, with a minimal coverage of 1.5”.

Additional benefits to Spray Foam Insulation:

  • Adaptable to most structural surfaces, including horizontal, vertical, and overhead surfaces.
  • Ability to coat uneven surfaces, tight spaces, curves, and corners.
  • Excellent gap- and air-sealing.
  • More mold-resistant than fiberglass or cellulose insulation.
  • Has a life expectancy of 80 years.
  • Resistant to mice and rodent contamination and damage.
  • Improved moisture control.
  • Even temperature distribution to your home or business.

With several insulation options to choose from, spray foam is the most effective way to increase your energy efficiency and to reduce your utility bills. Contact EcoLogical Insulation – Birmingham and tell them you want to beat the heat at its own game!

Beautiful home on a summer day

Attic Insulation in Summer? Yes! Here’s Why

By News

Many homeowners associate home insulation with winter months and cold weather. While insulation does keep your home warm during cold winter months, Alabama residents know insulation helps keep your home cool during the summer.

As the sun heats the surface of your roof, the air inside your attic begins to heat up. Conditioned air inside your home is cooler than attic air. To create an equal air balance, the hot attic air will try to move from the attic to your home’s living space.

Proper attic insulation combined with air sealing slows this process, keeping warm air in your attic and conditioned air in your living space. This means your cooling system will run less resulting in lower energy bills and a more comfortable home.

Any way you look at it, a home that lacks proper insulation and air sealing is less comfortable and less efficient than a home that is properly insulated and air sealed.

Not sure if your insulation is doing its job? Consider an energy audit. Our staff is certified in Duct and Envelope Tightness (DET) through the HERS program and can perform blower door and duct blaster tests on your home.

Contact us to learn more about energy audits and ask questions you have about the insulation in your home.

 

Infrared image of home during energy audit

Is an Energy Audit Really Necessary?

By News

A home energy audit provides you with a complete picture of your home’s energy use. It provides valuable information related to the amount of energy use in your home, where energy may be lost and how you can make your home more efficient.

An energy audit and testing assesses the factors that uniquely affect energy use in your home. This technique gathers and evaluates the data with custom software that provides you with a list of suggested home improvements for optimal energy efficiency.

An energy audit/testing is used for existing and new homes under construction. An audit can help you select the correct building materials, lighting and design to make your home more energy efficient.

If you are interested in saving on your energy bills, consider scheduling a home energy audit by contacting us today.

 

fiberglass insulation installation

EcoLogical Insulation Participates in 2018 Habitat Home Builders Blitz

By News

There are few things more rewarding than coming together with local organizations to make our community a better place. Getting the job done in record time makes it fun!

EcoLogical Insulation was invited by home builder Harris Doyle to be their insulation partner this fall during the Habitat for Humanity Greater Birmingham 2018 Home Builders Blitz. Through the combined efforts of ten professional home builders and dozens of partner companies, a total of ten houses were built in only seven days. This was an incredible undertaking that required tight coordination by all partners. This is the 13th Home Builders Blitz coordinated by Habitat for Humanity Greater Birmingham. This year marked the 129th new house built during the annual Home Builders Blitz initiative.

Thank you to Habitat for Humanity Greater Birmingham for your work to provide affordable housing solutions for low income families and to Harris Doyle for inviting EcoLogical Insulation to partner with them on this event. For more about this project or to support Habitat for Humanity Greater Birmingham, visit their Facebook page.

happy family in front of home

EcoLogical Insulation Partners with Alabama Power on Smart Neighborhood Project

By News

In early May, Alabama Power unveiled its first Smart Neighborhood at Reynolds Landing. The mission of the Smart Neighborhood was to build a community of the most energy efficient homes to date.

The homes, built by Signature Homes, go beyond the way builders typically construct energy efficient homes.

EcoLogical Insulation was invited to participate in the project through a partnership with Signature Homes and other participating contractors. EcoLogical installed the blown-in blanket system and a high performing air sealing package. Improvement of air sealing is a top priority for EcoLogical Insulation.

EcoLogical’s insulation and air sealing process combined with the expertise of other contractor partners helped the Smart Neighborhood achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency. According to Alabama Power, homes in the Smart Neighborhood are 35 percent more efficient than standard homes built in this area today.

The Smart Neighborhood project in the Southeast operates on the first ever microgrid that supports an entire residential community. In addition, this high level of energy efficiency reduces the carbon footprint of each home and lowers energy bills.

Learn more about this project here. To learn more about achieving high energy performance through insulating and air sealing, contact us.