What should I do first?

If your budget is limited, the best areas to spend money on are the attic, air sealing, and a few other specific items. We will be happy to discuss this with you at your estimate and you can pick services on an a la carte basis.

How long does it take?

Simpler jobs may take only a few hours. The most complicated jobs take several days. We will answer this at your estimate.

How much does it cost?

The simple answer is: it depends. It is best to call for a customized (and free!) estimate. We view every house as a unique challenge and try to find the best way to cost effectively insulate your home.

Here are a few questions that affect your estimate:

  1. Do you just need a little more insulation in your attic?
  2. Is your house brick or does it have aluminum, vinyl, or wood siding?
  3. Are you planning on having it resided?
  4. Do you need your basement or crawlspace insulated?
  5. Does your attic need more ventilation?
  6. Do you have a room with knee walls?
  7. Are your windows and doors sealed?
  8. How much does it save?

Depending on how your home is already insulated and your energy usage patterns, you can save 10-50% on your energy bills.

What is the most common savings amount?

30-40% savings are common. If your energy bills are $2000 per year and a 30% savings are possible, you could save about $600 per year ($2000 x .3). If your insulation package costs $3000 you would get your money back in 5 years ($3000 cost/$600 savings/year = 5 years).

Return on Investment (ROI) – This is about a 20% annual return on investment (100% return on investment/5 years). This is a bit simplistic because there is no compounding interest, but it is a good rule of thumb. 20% (practically) guaranteed return on your investment is better than any other safe investment we’re aware of. Plus, if utility bills go up, you get your money back faster!

Best time of year?

The busiest season is when the first heat bill arrives in October or so until January or February. The spring and summer are typically slower times. As more and more homeowners are discovering the value of insulation as a true investment, we are seeing less and less of a lull in the retrofit insulation business.

What areas do you serve?

We serve the Northeast Ohio area including but not limited to Cleveland, Aurora, Avon Lake, Bedford, Bedford Heights, Brook Park, Brooklyn, Chagrin Falls, Chardon, Chesterland, Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Eastlake, East Cleveland, Elyria, Euclid, Fairview Park, Garfield Heights, Lakewood, Maple Heights, Mentor, Painsville, Parma, Shaker Heights, Solon, South Euclid, Strongsville, University Heights, Warrensville Heights, Westlake, Wickliffe, and Willoughby. We also serve the Akron area including but not limited to Bath, Cuyahoga Falls, Fairlawn, Hudson, Kent, Macedonia, Northfield, Richfield, Stow, Streetsboro, Tallmadge, and Twinsburg.

What is R-Value?

R-Value is a measure of the ability of a substance to slow down heat flow. The higher the R-Value, the greater the substance’s ability to slow down heat. A typical un-insulated wall will have an R-Value of 2 or 3. An insulated wall will have an R-Value of 13 to 21 generally. Attics should have an R-49 to R-60 according to the US Department of Energy.

What are batts?

Batts are pieces of insulation sized specifically for a cavity. For example an 8’ tall 16” on center cavity with wood studs will use a 15” x 93” piece of insulation. This fills the entire hole. These are mostly used for new construction but are also used in knee walls. Many attics are insulated with batts.

What are knee walls?

Knee walls are walls in a second or third floor that have an attic on the other side. These are common in Cape Cods and in bonus rooms. They are difficult to insulate well and are consistently too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. We have a great solution for this called Solar Guard.

What is blowing wool or loose fill?

These are different words for the same type of product. Loose fill is simply loose material packed into bags that can be put into special machines that blow them through hoses from our truck into your attic. It can be fiberglass, cellulose, or rock wool.

What are ice dams?

Ice dams occur when snow melts off the roof and refreezes in the gutter. Over a few days the gutters are full and the ice runs up the roof itself in a “dam”. Once the ice gets to the heated portion of the roof it melts and can be forced under the shingles into your attic and exterior walls causing extensive damage and mold. They are most common in under-insulated homes and are most easily recognized by large icicles hanging from the gutters. They are a difficult problem to eliminate, but the easiest methods are insulation and ventilation. The purpose of these is to keep the attic temperature as close to the outside temperature as possible so that the snow on the roof does not melt. We can recommend the most cost effective solution for your home at your free customized estimate.

The only foolproof method to solve ice dams is a “cold roof” which is a second roof spaced a few inches above your current roof. This is the method used in Germany in areas of excessive snowfall.

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