How to choose insulation
How to choose insulation
If you are buying or building a new house, make sure that recommended energy-saving features are included. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) home insulation rule requires the seller of a new home to provide information on the type, thickness, and R-value of the insulation that will be installed in each part of the house in every sales contract. Insulation contractors are required to give their customers similar information. Many state or local building codes include minimum requirements for home insulation.
To keep initial selling prices competitive, many homebuilders offer standard (not optimal) levels of insulation, even though additional insulation would be a good investment for the buyer. Guidelines are published by several organizations. Following these guidelines will provide you with a more energy efficient home. These guidelines also describe methods you can use during house design to compensate for energy lost through metal studs in the walls or a large amount of windows. It is almost always more economical to install the recommended levels of thermal insulation during initial construction rather than adding insulation later.
