As the temperature continues to drop and the snow keeps falling, it is important to make sure your home is properly insulated. While some jobs may require outside assistance to ensure the home is completely insulated, there are some things you can do yourself to improve your home’s insulation during cold months.

What is the best way to reduce heat loss (and therefore your energy bill)?

Here are some best practices for when you want to insulate your home and seal air leaks.

Identify the Air Leak

It is important to make sure that you actually have air leaks in your home before you add insulation, as it could prove to be unnecessary. If you have noticed a chill from cold air while walking past a door or window in your home, it could be due to a leak in the insulation.

Go around to different areas of your home and locate andmark any windows that seem to be leaking in cool air with a piece of paper nearby. Wait a few minutes to see if it flutters. This is a sure sign of an air leak.

Mark drafty doors and windows with a sticky note so you remember which windows to return to and insulate. This is easier to do during the colder months as you can feel the difference between the warm air in your home and the cold air coming from the exterior walls of your home.

If there are no air leaks coming from any areas of your home, yet your home is still cold, it could be due to a multitude of other factors aside from an air leak.

For example, if you have a fireplace, you may need to block it off as it will be bringing outside air into the home through the chimney to the fireplace is attached to.

It is not wise to have a constant fire pit in your home to keep it warm, but you can either close the damper built into the fireplace (if one was built in) or close the doors to the fireplace to help keep the cold air contained within the chimney.

Additionally, adding weatherstripping or insulated curtains to your windows and doors can improve the circulation of air in the home and keep the exterior elements out.

Test Multiple Areas of Your Home and Insulate Them

Air leaks can come from multiple areas of your home, including doors, windows, attics, and basements. While you may believe that the draft is coming from one area in particular, it is important to test multiple areas as there could be hidden drafts that are running up your bill with the Department of Energy.

You will want to insulate the attic and basement, as well as doors and windows to have real energy savings.

Increasing home insulation can be a fairly involved DIY project, but it’s can be a great task to accomplish that is very cost-effective. This expanding foam spray for Silicone Depot is great for sealing any larger gaps (¼ to 3 inches wide).

Our spray comes with a nozzle for application for easy use and doesn’t hold moisture so your home will not lose heat. Spray around areas such as a basement water heater, where floors, walls, and ceilings meet, and any cracks or gaps.

For this type of project, it is important to understand the type of insulation you will need to use to accomplish your task. For example, for insulation, you will want to use a polyurethane foam as it serves as a cellulose insulation tool, due to its flexibility, durability, and resistance to elements. It works as a foam board between gaps, cracks, and holes to block out cold air.

Tools to Help Improve Home Insulation

Polyurethane foam is of the best thermal insulation materials on the market due to its ability to seal holes and prevent air leaks. On top of that, it is one of the most cost-effective choices for home insulation.

If you’re using polyurethane foam to insulate your home, you want to make sure that you’re using the right product for your goals. For the most long-lasting, durable building insulation, look no further than our Expanding Foam Sealant at Silicone Depot.

Our closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation is the best choice for all of your home insulation and sealing needs because it is an all-in-one product with no need for a caulk gun for application.

Want to learn more about Silicone Depot and the products we offer? Check out our product catalog today to learn more about how we can help you with each project on your work docket!