Home Insulation for the Holidays: Smart Comfort and Joy
On this blog, I often refer to our tagline, smart comfort, when talking about the benefits home insulation offers, both in terms of finances, and in terms of ecological benefits and leaving our children a better world. But while these two things are indeed comforting, I tend to think of them as the elements that constitute the smart in our tagline. Today, I want to talk about the comfort part.
At no other time in the year does the word home mean as much as it does right now. If you don’t believe me, I’ve got the likes of Frank, Bing, Dean, and Elvis to back me on this – I’ll be Home for Christmas, Home for the Holidays, I Want to Come Home for Christmas. But you don’t need to take it from me – or them. You know all to well, that this is the time of year when we defy the elements not just with the warmth of hearth and home – but also with the warmth of friends and family. So grab your beverage of choice, and find some chestnuts and an open fire, we’re going to talk comfort Insta-Insulation style: smart comfort.
To be sure, home insulation is not a topic that’s likely to come up over a few eggnogs. But that doesn’t mean the topic isn’t going to make an appearance. That’s the funny thing about comfort. When you have it – you don’t necessarily notice it. But when you don’t have it – it’s all you can think about. So, forget the lower heating bills and lower green house gas emissions for a moment. Let’s talk about what you WON’T notice when you have a well-insulated ho-ho-home?
How about temperature variations throughout the house? That’s a good place to start. Aunt Gertrude loves sitting by the fireplace so much that she just thinks it would be impolite to mention how it feels like she walked into a refrigerator when she visits the restroom. Home insulation not only keeps the heat you pay for from heading outside – by limiting heat transfer, it also keeps the temperature consistent throughout your house.
Grandpa enjoys his toasty bed. But, he knows it would be impolite to tell you that, when he rolls over against the bedroom wall it’s like spooning with Frosty the Snowman!
Proper home insulation – and especially the building envelope seal made possible with spray foam insulation – eliminates cold wall effect: The discomfort that occurs with a variation of more than 3°C between the interior air temperature and the temperature of the walls.
When you think about cold wall effect (even though no one wants to be rude and talk about it) insulation actually gives you a more spacious home because now you can fearlessly put a desk or a sofa against this external wall or that. Effective home insulation also opens up rooms that may have been wasted space. And you know what they say about space during the holidays! It’s like people you like: the more the merrier! Besides, it’s the holidays and you never know when a dance floor will be required. It’s just one of those things.
And what’s with the musty smell? The mistletoe scented candles are lovely. So is the smell of baking shortbread. But Uncle Roy just can’t get past the hint of mould peaking through. He won’t bring it up (he doesn’t want to be a party pooper) but he’s fretting a little bit about it what it might mean for little Roy Junior’s viral asthma.
Insulation – again, especially spray foam insulation – is an important factor in moisture management and mould reduction, meaning it is an important factor in internal air quality.
Insulation, and the comfort it brings, is about addressing all the things that people notice but don’t talk about. And the truth is, even as we laugh, and share, and eat, and enjoy one another’s company at this special time, we enjoy everything more – though we may not notice it – without the draughts, and the coughing, and the hot flashes, and the sleepless nights.
Going back tens of thousands of years, even before the more recent reasons we celebrate this time of year, it has been a part of our heritage as inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere to gather together in the cold, dark months to indulge not only in the warmth of hearth and home – but to engage also in the warmth of one another’s company.
In this way, comfort is at the heart of this time of year: like the song says – comfort and joy.
Our entire team at Insta-Insulation hopes everyone has a safe, happy, and of course, comfortable holiday season. And it comforts us to hope that a good amount of what you didn’t have to spend on utility bills has found it’s way under the tree and into the homes of those less fortunate.
For all the Insta-Insulation customers we’ve served over the years, it provides me with great comfort to be able to say (both in terms of economy and ecology) I know you are going to have a green Christmas.
It also comforts me to say that we are together in spirit in that we are a part of a select group who can comfortably say, “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!”
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays