If your southern Vermont or southwestern NH home needs an insulation upgrade, you may wonder what needs to happen with your existing insulation. When it comes time to replace insulation and improve your home’s efficiency removing the old insulation is essential to allow your new insulation to function as it’s designed to do. The expert insulation contractors at Vermont Foam Insulation have the experience to ensure your insulation is removed safely to provide a clean space for new insulation.
What’s the Matter with My Old Insulation?
Insulation can lose its insulation qualities over time. Several factors can degrade the effectiveness and safety of home insulation:
- Moisture damage—A leak in the roof or condensation can degrade insulation by compacting and rotting. Wet insulation provides a perfect medium to grow mold or fungus creating unpleasant odors that can seep into your living areas.
- Pest infestation — For pests like rodents and insects, old insulation provides an attractive nesting place.
- Loss of insulating properties — Old insulation often compacts and loses the air gaps that create the insulating barrier to energy loss.
- Ineffective fire retardant — Some cellulose insulation loses its fire retardant capabilities over time, posing a safety risk.
What an Energy Audit Reveals
If your home is feeling drafty or uncomfortable, an energy audit set up by Vermont Foam Insulation can pinpoint where your home is leaking energy. Every home has thousands of tiny leaks and gaps where conditioned air seeps out and outside air enters. Attics are often the source of energy loss. So, removing and replacing old insulation with spray foam insulation solves two problems at once: air leakage and energy loss.
Adding New Insulation on Old Won’t Save
Sometimes, customers ask whether we can just add some more inches to attic insulation or leave it in place? It may seem like a money-saving option, but if your insulation is damaged it won’t be boosted by new insulation on top. When new spray foam insulation is applied to the attic deck, it needs to adhere to a clean dry surface to perform the way it should.
How Is My Insulation Removed?
Our insulation removal team uses equipment to collect and contain your old, ineffective insulation in an area outside your home. It is then disposed at a waste facility according to local regulations. The insulation pros at Vermont Foam Insulationtake just as much care in removing your old insulation as we do installing your new energy efficient attic spray foam insulation!
Upgraded Insulation Could Qualify you for Valuable Incentives
Once your old insulation is properly removed, our team can get to work upgrading your home with spray foam insulation in your attic area. As part of a comprehensive upgrade, you could qualify for $2,000 to $4,000 in rebates to offset the cost of efficiency improvements, including insulation, air sealing, retrofitting HVAC and other improvements.
