Walls, floors and ceilings should feel warm and dry to the touch in your home. An indication that there is not enough insulation can be drywall or paneling feeling damp or cold. Conversely, the walls outside of your home should feel cold because insulation stops the heat from escaping.
Looking across your attic, if the insulation is level with or below the attic floor joists, you probably need to add more insulation. If you cannot see any of the floor joists because the insulation is well above them, you probably have enough, and adding more insulation may not be cost-effective.
The cost to insulate a 2000-square-foot house can range from $2,000 to $6,000, depending on the type of insulation used and other factors.
In many cases you can add new insulation on top of old insulation, unless the old insulation is wet, mouldy, or vermiculite. If the old insulation is dry but appears to have previously been wet, you should look for the cause and repair the problem.
Expect to pay roughly $1,500 to have 1,000 square feet of old insulation taken out of your home. The average total cost to remove and replace 1,000 square feet of existing insulation with new fiberglass batt insulation is between $2,300 and $4,800.
Check for drafts and cold spots
Areas where you can feel a draft, or cold spots on your walls can indicate poor insulation. Drafts indicate panel gaps and openings that need to be sealed, cold spots in walls and floors indicate insulation clumping or areas where the material is too thin.
However, insulation can start falling from fiberglass batts after 15 to 20 years, so if your insulation was installed in batts well over a decade ago, it might be time for an inspection or a home energy audit.
It is possible to over-insulate your house so much that it can't breathe. The whole point of home insulation is to tightly seal your home's interior. But if it becomes too tightly sealed with too many layers of insulation, moisture can get trapped inside those layers. That's when mold starts to grow.
You can easily detect areas of missing insulation by walking around your house with a thermal imager and looking for temperature differences. For best results, you'll want at least a 20 degree temperature difference.
Walls, floors and ceilings should feel warm and dry to the touch in your home. An indication that there is not enough insulation can be drywall or paneling feeling damp or cold. Conversely, the walls outside of your home should feel cold because insulation stops the heat from escaping.
To check the level of your wall insulation, consider purchasing an infrared thermometer. The device will detect any poor insulation and alert you of any specific problem area.
Insulation slows the movement of heat through the walls, roof, and floors, maintaining a more consistent indoor temperature. Without insulation, the interior surfaces of a home can become significantly cooler than the air inside, leading to condensation when moisture in the warm air condenses on these cold surfaces.
Removing old insulation is generally recommended if it's damaged, contaminated with mold, or infested with pests. However, if the insulation is in decent shape and just needs a boost, adding a new layer on top can be a cost-effective option.
Best Time of Year to Buy Insulation
In this case, the spring is the best time, because you will also start to see savings in the summer months. The same is true for warmer climates, just different times of year because you'll want the job finished before the heat sets in.
Check Behind the Baseboards
Put the wood between the wall and the pry bar to avoid any drywall damage. Then you can easily pry the trim away to get access to the bottom of the wall. If there is existing insulation like fiberglass or cellulose, you will be able to see it in the gap at the bottom of the drywall.
In fact, adding too much insulation to your walls can lead to problems such as poor ventilation, mould growth, and condensation. This is because thicker insulation can block airflow and trap moisture, leading to indoor air quality issues and even structural damage.
Irritation to skin and respiratory system
Wall insulation solutions like Rockwool are made of ultra-fine fibres. While thermally efficient, they can cause skin and respiratory irritation.