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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!

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!

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.

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.

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.