Is your HVAC system running non-stop?
It may not be the HVAC system that’s the problem. More often than not, it’s what’s hidden behind your walls, in your attic, and under your house.
Bad insulation makes heating and cooling equipment work much harder than it needs to.
And what does that lead to?
Sky-high energy bills, frequent breakdowns, and HVAC systems that just don’t last as long as they should.
The good news is that when you understand how insulation affects your HVAC system, you can avoid all that trouble and expense. Let’s dive in.
What you’re going to learn:
- Why Insulation Quality Matters for HVAC Performance
- How Poor Insulation Destroys Your Furnace
- Signs Your Insulation Is Hurting Your HVAC System
- The Smart Way To Fix It
Why Insulation Quality Matters for HVAC Performance
Insulation is like a building’s immune system.
It prevents hot air from entering your home during the summer and keeps warm air inside during the winter. Good insulation means your HVAC system doesn’t have to run constantly to keep your home comfortable.
But here’s the thing:
Insulation in 89% of single-family homes throughout America is lacking. That means 9 out of every 10 homes have HVAC systems that are struggling needlessly.
Not only that…
If heated and cooled air can escape through holes in your walls, ceilings, and floors, your furnace or air conditioner has to run more often to make up the difference. And all that constant running wears your system out way faster. If your furnace is already on the old side, weak insulation can make it give out much sooner than expected. That’s when homeowners need a furnace replacement service from a trusted company like United Heating Cooling & Plumbing to start fixing their home comfort problems.
Simply put, quality insulation preserves your HVAC system. Poor insulation ruins it.
How Poor Insulation Destroys Your Furnace
Here’s what happens when your home isn’t properly insulated…
Your furnace heats up your home to a certain temperature then turns off until it drops below that temperature threshold. Your furnace cycles on and off all day long to maintain a comfortable temperature. That’s exactly how your system is supposed to operate.
When your home is poorly insulated, however:
Hot air escapes quicker than your furnace can heat your home. The thermostat temperature never gets reached, causing your furnace to continue running… and running… and running.
This is known as short cycling or long cycling, and it wrecks your HVAC system with time.
Your HVAC system will experience:
- Stress and strain on mechanical components such as the blower motor and heat exchanger
- Higher than normal energy bills since your system runs much longer than it should
- More repairs due to worn out parts
- A shorter-than-expected lifespan which means you’ll have to pay for a new HVAC system years before you should
Heating and cooling makes up 50 to 70% of energy used in the typical American household. When your insulation is weak, a large portion of that energy is going straight out your windows… and wallet.
Signs Your Insulation Is Hurting Your HVAC System
Alright, now you understand why insulation is important. But how can you tell if your insulation is to blame for your HVAC headaches?
Poor insulation isn’t always easy to identify. A lot of homeowners think there’s something wrong with their HVAC system when the real problem is hidden in the walls. There are a few clues that can help you pinpoint insulation issues, though:
Inconsistent Temperatures From Room to Room
You have some rooms that are too hot and others that are too cold. Crazy temperature variations are usually a good indication that your insulation was installed improperly or is only present in some areas of your home.
Rising Energy Bills
If your energy bills continue to climb month after month, your HVAC system may be struggling to keep up with poor insulation.
Your HVAC System Runs Constantly
A well-insulated home allows the HVAC system to turn off once the air temperature reaches the thermostat’s setting. If it sounds like your system is running more than it’s resting, you could have holes in your insulation letting out conditioned air.
Cold Walls & Drafts
During the winter, touch your exterior walls. Are they cold? Do you feel drafts coming from your windows and doors? That’s a tell-tale sign you have either insufficient or no insulation.
Most of these issues develop over time. You may have noticed higher energy bills or hot and cold spots in your home and thought “yeah, that’s normal.” But just because you’ve grown accustomed to your HVAC working harder than it should, doesn’t mean the damage stops accumulating.
The Smart Way To Fix It
Yes, you need to repair your insulation problems. But where do you start? And how much will it cost you?
Start by having a professional energy audit conducted. Not only will you know precisely where your home is losing heat, but you’ll also know which areas are the highest priority. From there you can determine your budget and take on insulation fixes room by room.
Some areas you’ll want to focus on include:
- Attic – Decades-old insulation in the attic can deteriorate and cause all kinds of issues. Replacing your attic insulation is usually one of the cheapest home insulation projects. Since heat rises, your attic is also the number one place heated air escapes to.
- Walls – Did you know you can blow insulation into the walls of your home without tearing open all the drywall? Wall insulation makes a big difference.
- Ducts – Speaking of air escaping, do you know if your ducts are sealed properly? Up to 30% of air can be wasted if your ducts have holes.
- Basement/Crawlspace – Lastly, you want to make sure your basement or crawlspace is properly insulated. Without it, cold air will come right up through your floors during the winter.
Once you’ve addressed the insulation issues in your home, bring in your HVAC technician to take a look at your system. Chances are if your equipment has been strained for years, it may need to be flushed and have the components cleaned or replaced.
In some cases, however, your furnace may be too damaged to repair and you may want to consider replacement.
Remember:
You can’t have one without the other. Without quality insulation, your HVAC system will continue to suffer. By upgrading your insulation first, your heating and cooling equipment will run more efficiently, last longer, and cost you way less to operate.
Bringing It All Together
If your HVAC system runs more than it rests, there’s a good chance your home’s insulation could be to blame.
Poor insulation makes your furnace and air conditioner work harder which leads to:
- Higher monthly energy bills
- More repairs
- A shortened lifespan of your equipment
- Rooms that are too hot or too cold
Instead of dealing with those problems and jumping straight to HVAC repair, take a step back and fix the insulation first. Attack your attic, walls, ducts, and basement or crawlspace. Then schedule annual maintenance for your HVAC system and watch how well it runs with some help from its friends.
As you probably know by now, your HVAC system and your home’s insulation depend on each other. Upgrade one and you’ll never reach your home comfort goals.