ATTIC INSULATION 101

To understand how insulation works, it helps to understand the different forms of heat flow we must safeguard against. This involves three basic mechanisms of heat transfer- conduction, convection, and radiation. Of the three, radiant heat makes up the majority of transfer by accounting for up to 93% of it. It has a way of making its way into your home's thermal barrier, causing high energy bills and comfortability issues. Most traditional insulation materials work by slowing down conductive and convective heat flow but do little to combat radiant heat. Regardless of the season, heat transfers from warmer to cooler areas until there is no longer a temperature difference. This means in the Winter, heat escapes from the warm living space directly into the adjacent unheated attic, eventually making it out roof vents causing inefficiency. Heat flow can also move indirectly through interior ceilings, walls, and floors- wherever there is a difference in temperature. During the cooling season, heat flows from the sun's radiant heat to the interior of your house, penetrating under-insulated areas. We regularly see both of these heat transfers happening with our FLIR thermal imaging capabilities. Proper attic insulation is a must with today's high energy prices! Without it, you're susceptible to expensive energy bills and temperature imbalances- which can also cause damage from moisture, mold & mildew.  

• How does your insulation measure up? Find out here!

At Midwest, we take a building-science approach to insulation and managing heat flow. Our first investment was acquiring FLIR thermal imaging capabilities. These highly advanced cameras help us see, first-hand, how well different insulation materials work to manage heat and keep it in or out of your home depending on the season. We can visualize how effective your current insulation is performing. It will clearly show up on the cameras view screen if heat is transferring in any form, in or out, contributing to energy efficiency issues. This lends us a decisive advantage to our industry expertise in helping choose what insulation will work best for your individual home or building. At the end of the day, the customer is what matters most so we chose to offer Free Thermal Imaging Inspections as a courtesy to our potential customers.  We provide an imaging and cost-effective recommendations report so our customers can see how well their insulation is working with their own eyes. This innovative tool sets the foundation of trust in effective energy management! From there, we offer standing discounts to our Military, Law Enforcement, First responders, Teachers, AARP Members, AAA Members, Industry Professionals, and more! To cap everything off, we provide 100% Project Financing with zero Interest to help our customers break insulation projects down into manageable budget friendly payments. Ask about our: Products · Discounts · 18 Month 0% INT Financing · Call or email now!

When most people consider insulation, they think of the term R-value. R-value measures the resistance to heat flow. It actually measures how long it takes a material to absorb 100% of its potential before it starts leaking the heat from the other side. The higher the number, the slower the heat travels through, but it eventually gets through no matter how high an R-value. This makes it somewhat of a flawed system because it pays little regard to radiant transfer- which is the primary source we deal with in attics. Most traditional insulations are not designed to deal with radiant heat at all. They are only truly effective at slowing down conductive and convective heat. To compound the issue, R-value is often considered the end all be all when it comes to insulation, often creating the misconception that adding more R-value is always the best option. While adding insulation usually cannot be considered a bad idea, continuing to boost R-value can get redundant where other measures would be more productive in managing your thermal loss or gain.

Rather than continuing to add R-value, at some point you need to address the radiant heat transfer that's causing your home to be uncomfortable and inefficient. This requires a completely different type of insulation called a radiant barrier (or reflective insulation system) like our Polyshield Attic-Guard. This spin-off from NASA is specifically designed to block up to 97% of radiant heat making it the most advanced insulation system on the planet. This technology is so effective at reducing the load on your HVAC system, that we are able to guarantee your energy savings at 20% in writing! A retrofit of Polyshield Attic-Guard over your existing insulation will protect it from heat gain in the Summer and heat loss in Winter, while lowering your bills and adding comfortability. Do you know where your attic insulation stands? Find out below!