Lewis Insulation Blog Posts

Things You Can Do to Keep Your House Warm All Winter

Posted February 17, 2021 by Lewis Insulation & filed under Residential Insulation.

Do you brace yourself every time you open your heating bill? If so, your house may be too cold and drafty and you’re paying far too much to heat it. Luckily, you can make some changes that will help keep your house warmer and save you money over time. As the trusted insulation contractors for Rogers and the surrounding areas, we’ve put together just some of the ways you can make your house not only cozier but more energy efficient.

Have a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat will allow you to preset temperatures for different times of the day because you don’t need to keep your home at the same temperature around the clock. You can choose a setting on the low end when you’re sleeping or are away and go with a higher setting at other times. This way, with a programmable thermostat, there’s no chance you’ll forget to adjust it.

Move furniture away from heating vents. Sometimes without realizing it, a couch, chair or bed can block the flow of heat into a room. This wastes money and leads to cold rooms. With a forced-air system, blocking a supply or return vent can cause a house-wide pressure imbalance that disrupts the heat flow in the whole system.

Change furnace filter. This is something many homeowners forget. If you have a forced-air system, changing the furnace filter can save you some energy and keep dust down in the house.

Seal door gaps. Cut down on areas cold air can enter your house, like under a door to the outside. Seal any gaps underneath doors leading to the outside with a fabric “door snake.” You can also keep the heat where it’s needed by making sure some interior doors, such as those leading to hallways or near stairways, are kept shut.

If you feel cold air seeping beneath a door leading outside and find that using a door snake is inconvenient, install a draft-defeating nylon door sweep.

Use your drapes. Open them during the day to get free solar heat and then close the curtains just before sunset. Also, consider insulating curtains.

Properly insulate. The correct, properly installed insulation can help make your home not only more comfortable but more efficient as well. It can even help reduce noise pollution and reduce moisture and more.

For more information about insulation contractors in the Rogers area, call Lewis Insulation at 763-477-2612 or contact us for a Free Estimate.

How to Effectively Insulate Your Attic

Posted December 17, 2020 by Lewis Insulation & filed under Attic Insulation.

When it comes to home improvements that give you the best return on your investment, attic insulation is about as effective as it gets. A well-insulated attic can stabilize indoor temperatures year-round, prevent ice dams from forming on the roof in winter, reduce home energy consumption, lower your monthly energy bills, and much more. Is your attic properly insulated? Some homeowners assume that insulating the attic is as simple as throwing some fiberglass up into the attic space; however, proper attic insulation requires a much more comprehensive approach. As the experts in attic insulation for Wayzata and the surrounding areas, we’ve put together an outline of how to effectively insulate your attic.

Audit/ Inspection

An important first step is knowing what your attic requires. Many attics contain air leaks and are under-insulated, relying on small amounts of older materials for insulation. An energy audit or attic inspection by trusted attic insulation professionals can reveal where air leaks and insulation gaps exist in your attic.

Proper Insulation Installation

Once you know what your attic needs, what kind of insulation should you choose? There are a few different options in attic insulation, all with different R-values. Understanding an insulation material’s R-value – a measure of how well it resists the flow of heat is important; the higher the number, the better the insulating power.

Spray foam. Closed cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is a premium insulation perfectly suited for the attic. With a high R-value, it acts as a barrier to keep the indoors from the outside climate, creating thermal, air and moisture isolation. It can expand and reach hard-to-till voids that other insulation types are not able to do.
Fiberglass and Cellulose Attic Insulation. These types of blown-in insulation have almost the same R-value, and they are both environmentally friendly. Cellulose is made out of recycled newspaper and fiberglass is made out of sand, both of which are renewable resources.

These types of insulation are great for filling in gaps and ensuring your entire attic is evenly insulated. The installation process is generally pretty quick, depending on the size of your attic.

Attic Ventilation

Once you have the right attic insulation installed, it’s important to ensure property attic ventilation as well. Proper attic ventilation, when combined with air sealing and professionally installed insulation, cools the attic down during warmer months, when heat might otherwise enter through the roof and accumulate in the attic. It also allows warm, moisture-filled air to escape the attic during colder months.

With the proper attic insulation from Lewis Insulation, not only could you see some savings on your heating and cooling bills, but you could also help lower your home’s carbon footprint as well. To learn more about attic insulation in Wayzata and the surrounding areas, call Lewis Insulation at 763-477-2612, or you can contact us to set up a Free Estimate.

Improving Your Home’s Insulation

Posted November 16, 2020 by Lewis Insulation & filed under Insulation Info.

Are you happy with your home’s insulation? Is it not holding up to cold winters and hot summers? Proper insulation is extremely important. Not only can it help you save money on your heating and cooling bills, but it also helps reduce noise pollution and keep your family comfortable. Lewis Insulation, insulation contractors for Wayzata, can help you select the best insulation for your unique home. And because we are professionals, we can install it for you safely and thoroughly. But what are the important ways you can improve your home’s insulation? Here are a few that you should keep in mind.

Get an energy audit. Blower door testing and infrared diagnostics are great ways to see what parts of your home are leaking air and what parts need some insulation TLC.

Check for rebates. Your municipality, town, city and/or state might offer rebates and other financial incentives when you purchase insulation or other high-efficiency products.

Speak to insulation contractors like us about installing new insulation. We can talk to you about the types we install, their benefits and which one would work best for your home and your needs. We install closed cell spray foam, cellulose and fiberglass insulation.

Make sure it is installed in the right places. Areas of your home like your attic, walls, basement, additions and crawl spaces should all be insulated.

Hire trusted insulation contractors. Be sure they are fully licensed, bonded and insured to do the work, like we are here at Lewis Insulation. You should ask for references, and you should contact a few and do some homework and research to ensure you are hiring reliable insulation contractors to do the work.

There are also some smaller steps you can take to help improve your home’s insulation. You should be sure to caulk around windows, doors and thresholds. You can also use weather stripping to help decrease air leaks. Even let your landscaping help! Large shade trees can help keep your home cool in the summer, and various shrubs and foundation materials can help diffuse the bite of winter’s cold and harsh wind.

Interested in getting some more information on hiring us as your insulation contractors in Wayzata or any of the other surrounding areas? Call Lewis Insulation at 763-477-2612 or you can contact us to get a Free Estimate.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Cellulose Insulation

Posted October 12, 2020 by Lewis Insulation & filed under Cellulose Insulation.

When it comes to cellulose insulation, the bottom line is it keeps homes cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Plus, it’s better for you and the environment. And, as the experts in cellulose insulation for Plymouth and the surrounding areas, we’d like to tell you more about why. Here are the top five things you may not have known about cellulose insulation:

Insulation is measure by R-value per inch. R meaning resistance to heat flow and the higher the number, the more effective the insulation. When properly installed, cellulose has an R-value of 3.5-4, which is higher than average when compared with other products.
Cellulose insulation is plant fiber, recycled paper, used in wall and roof cavities to insulate, draught proof and reduce free noise. And, since it is made of recycled plant fibers, making it environmentally friendly as well as budget friendly.
A home insulated with cellulose will be much quieter than a glass fiber insulated home due to its effectiveness in preventing sound transmission.
Cellulose insulation helps prevent airborne moisture movement. Minerals in the insulation resist the growth of these organisms, improving building durability and longevity.
Cellulose is fantastic at preventing drafts and airflow. It completely fills gaps and voids around irregular objects such as wiring, plumbing and framing materials in attics and walls, compared to foam insulation. Cellulose insulation also disperses moisture and helps to protect the surrounding building components.

And, these are just some of the many benefits to choosing cellulose insulation! Cellulose is good, green insulation. It performs and has less embodied energy. It is important to hire professional installer, but it still has a high and quick return on investment. Fiberglass is good insulation too. If it weren’t, it wouldn’t have been around for so long. It comes down to personal preference about your own carbon footprint and other factors.

Not sure what kind of insulation is right for your unique home? Give us a call at Lewis Insulation so we can tell you more about cellulose insulation as well as the many other types of insulation we carry. We can help you find the right one for your building’s unique needs.

Whether you’re building a new home, completing a home remodeling project, or it’s just time for an update, we’ve got you covered. For more information about cellulose insulation for your Plymouth area home or business, call Lewis Insulation at 763-477-2612 or you can contact us for a Free Estimate.

Why Fiberglass is Still Number One

Posted September 10, 2020 by Lewis Insulation & filed under Fiberglass Insulation.

When most think of insulation, it’s fiberglass insulation that comes to mind. And, this isn’t without good reason. While there are a variety of new, equally amazing insulation products on the market, fiberglass has remained at the top of the list. In fact, fiberglass is the dominant insulation material being almost 71% of all the insulation used by 1,600 builders as surveyed by Home Innovation Research Labs. And, according to the same article, fiberglass has remained fairly steady at that level for the past couple of years.

Since this material makes up more than two thirds of the insulation market for new, single family homes, this is a great time to discuss the many benefits of fiberglass. Here at Lewis Insulation, we are the experts in fiberglass insulation for Plymouth and the surrounding areas and know first-hand all of the benefits of this and every one of our insulation materials. We believe fiberglass insulation will be around as a top insulation material for years to come. Here are some points to consider:

First of all, like many other insulation materials, fiberglass insulation can help increase the energy efficiency of your home. It helps to slow the spread of heat and cold by trapping pockets of air. This helps keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Plus, it helps the amount of outside noise that comes into your home.

Fiberglass is also made out of sand and recycled glass, so that means it does not catch fire that easily. If it is under direct flame, it will melt, not burn. Fiberglass insulation is not a fire hazard.

And, the type of fiberglass insulation we install at Lewis Insulation is mold and mildew resistant. So you will not have to worry that your new fiberglass insulation is retaining moisture and possibly causing more harm than good to you and your family.

Ready to get started? You will not have to wait long for fiberglass insulation to be installed. While the installation process can be easy, it is still best to call in the professionals, like the ones at Lewis Insulation, to get it installed. That’s because if someone without a lot of experience installs your fiberglass insulation, it can be installed improperly and you could lose a lot of the benefits of this insulation.

To learn more about fiberglass insulation for your Plymouth area home, call Lewis Insulation at 763-477-2612 or you can contact us to get your Free Estimate on our fiberglass insulation services.