Author: geekpower

Why You Should Consider Insulating Your Home in the Spring

While it may be difficult to determine whether or not the insulation in your home is up to standard (mainly because it is hiding within your walls, floors, and ceilings), it is worthwhile to hire a professional to do so. With the hot summer months on the horizon, the best time to have your home evaluated is right now! Having insufficient insulation in your household can cause excessive heat loss in the winter months and increase the heat gain in the summer. These inefficiencies can end up costing you hundreds or thousands of dollars over the years, in addition to contributing to feelings of discomfort within the household (such as feeling too hot or a cool breeze).
Spring is the perfect time to have your homes’ insulation evaluated by a professional. If you find your insulation is up to standard, you have peace of mind and will get an idea of how much life the insulation has left; whereas, if you find your insulation is in need of an update, you have given yourself enough time to schedule these upgrades before the weather gets overly warm outside. You’ll have a cooler summer, and your wallet will thank you.
Know your insulation needs upgrading soon? Here is why you should get it done this spring:

1. Avoid the Busy Season

People like to put things off. That is why when (and only when) the hot weather comes and air conditioning bills start showing up, people suddenly decide it is time for them to update their insulation. This is also why insulation companies are the busiest during the summer months. By scheduling your home insulation upgrades in the spring, you will beat the crowd and have more choice on the dates for your home improvement! Not to mention, the sooner you get your insulation fixed, the sooner you start to benefit from increased comfort and savings on your energy bill.

2. Increased Comfort at Home

It would be counterproductive to wait until summer to schedule your home insulation upgrades. Why? Because if you’ve waited until the summer, you will have to wait even longer to schedule your updates (see #1) and you are therefore already missing out on increased savings and COMFORT. When a big part of the reason you are choosing to fix your home insulation is to increase the comfort for those living there (aka you and your family – pretty important people), it doesn’t make sense to wait until it is already hot and moist inside your house to do something about it.

3. Extra Cash in Your Wallet, Who Doesn’t Want That?

Ensuring your home insulation is up to date before the hot season arrives allows you and your bank account to reap the benefits all summer long. Energy bills tend to hike up in the summer due to increased heat and humidity; however, homeowners with efficient home insulation find that they have significantly lower bills. Having effective home insulation will reduce heat gain, simply meaning that you can set your AC unit to the same temperature you usually would and it will come on less often. This is because your home retains the cool air and keeps out the hot air more effectively with proper insulation.
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If you are considering insulating your home or requesting a professional home consultation, call us today! Your family and your wallet will thank you.

When your home is not properly insulated, it is not as energy-efficient as it should be. This inefficiency ends up costing you more money and wastes unnecessary resources, but it doesn’t have to be this way!

Having your home insulation evaluated and brought up-to-code by a team of experienced professionals, like ours at Tropical Insulation, can be a game-changer for you and your energy bill! When your home is correctly insulated, it becomes more energy-efficient and energy consumption is noticeably reduced. You can expect your annual utility costs (for heating and cooling) to decrease and your overall home comfort level to increase. It’s a win-win.

Selecting the Right Person for the Job

So you’ve determined that your homes’ insulation could use some repairing; what is your next step? Finding an insulation contractor that is right for you!

In recent years, the do-it-yourself approach to updating insulation has been promoted at home centers and online quite heavily, however, at Tropical Insulation we caution against this approach. As insulation experts for over 35 years, our experienced team members know what it takes to evaluate a home’s current insulation system, determine if there is a need for repairs, suggest the best plan of action including insulation type and products to use, AND pick the right person to get the job done correctly.

Installing insulation demands a high level of expertise and skill to ensure the best results. We believe that due to the specific skills and product knowledge required to do a proper insulation install, employing a professional insulation expert is the preferable approach. Our professional insulation contractors have the experience and know-how required to get the job done correctly – the first time.

At Tropical Insulation we are committed to providing every homeowner with high quality, environmentally sustainable insulation solutions, with building envelope resolutions that are expertly installed by our team of licensed professionals.

The Baeumler Homeowner Checklist

Tropical Insulation is proud to be a member of the Baeumler Approved group, a membership of contractors vetted by the Brian Baeumler team. This membership is exclusive to reputable contractors who meet the industry standard through ethical codes, background checks, industry referrals, and so on.

The Baeumler Approved website provides important advice about which information you should request from a contractor, prior to completing a contract with them. Here are some key points to take-away from the Baeumler Homeowner Checklist:

• Ask for a copy of their “Worker’s Compensation Clearance” Certificate

All subcontractors and contracting companies with more than one employee are required to be registered and in good standing with the Provincial Workers Compensation. If your contractor cannot provide this certificate, they may be operating illegitimately. For more information, visit the Ontario WSIB website.

• Verify the contractor’s insurance coverage

You have the right to request proof of insurance before entering into a contract. Insurance is important in order to cover any property damages, loss, or unexpected outcomes.

• Know your budget

Before you sign a contract, be sure you know how much money you can afford to spend on your insulation project. This will help you avoid unforeseen costs.

• Get a detailed contract

Having every aspect of the job written into a quote or contract is essential – this will outline the work that is to be done, the costs of associated labour and materials, and your projects’ expected timeframe. Having a detailed contract will hold your contractor accountable to the limitations agreed upon at signing.

Need a Quote?

Tropical Insulation is happy to provide detailed quotes to our clients. If you are looking to hire a contractor who understands how your home’s building envelope works, can recommend the best insulation product for your home and is experienced in insulation installation – look no further!

Contact us today at (416) 798-1310, email us at info@tropicalinsulation.ca, or fill out the form on our website! We look forward to hearing from you.

What is Ice-Damming?

Ice-damming refers to a build-up of ice that forms on the roof of a heated building, usually caused by deficiencies in attic insulation which provide optimal conditions for heat to escape.

How Does it Happen?

As heat from your home escapes through poorly insulated ceiling and attic spaces, the heat will begin to melt some of the snow that has accumulated on the roof. The problem begins to escalate from there as the melted snow trickles down to the edge of the roof’s eavesdrop and begins to re-freeze due to the cold. Thus, an ice dam is formed. The ice dam continues to grow over the course of the winter as the formation process continues to repeats itself, eventually beginning to trap water behind the dam.

Ice dams affect many Canadian homes and buildings every year and can cause mild-to-severe damage depending on the size and duration of the ice dam. Ice dams can create leaks in the roof, leading to cases of water damage, and can compromise the lifespan of roofing materials. Ice dams can also cause physical harm; icicles that build and form on the edge of the roof can become quite heavy and sharp, posing a physical danger if they are to fall from the roof.
Two of the main factors that contribute to ice-dam formation are inadequate attic insulation and the fluctuating weather conditions throughout winter months (causing the thawing and freezing of ice and snow). While it is impossible to control the weather, the ultimate solution for preventing future ice dams is to change the physical conditions of the roof cavity and attic.

How to Prevent Ice-Damming

Hiring an insulation expert, like one of our professional crew members at Tropical Insulation, is your best line of defence against ice-damming this winter. Your Tropical Insulation expert will assess the current insulation in your ceiling/attic to come up with the best strategy to protect your home from future damage.

Renewing your current insulation in your attic is generally the most important update that can be made to your home when preparing for cold winter months. Insulation that is up-to-code will eliminate the bulk of weather-dependent issues by stopping the initial heat loss near the roof. Attic ventilation must also be addressed; ensuring proper ventilation may require opening up of soffits to attain optimal airflow and additional roof venting to simulate better circulation of air.

In protecting your house and your family from the dangers of ice-damming, Tropical Insulation recommends our blown-in cellulose insulation application for the best possible results. Raising your attic insulation to the recommended level with blown cellulose insulation will ensure that your attic is not being heated by your furnace, lessening the changes of ice dam formation. The finished product will result in an attic/ceiling space that is sealed-in, airtight and insulated, and moisture-proof, all with higher R-value ratings in comparison to similar products.

Cellulose insulation is an extremely effective barrier to heat loss and acts as a moisture barrier, protecting your house from both water damage and ice-dam formation. Air movement and air moisture in the attic of the house will be greatly reduced, which addresses the main contributing factors to the formation of ice dams.

Contact us today to request your home consultation with one of our Tropical Insulation experts today!

Cellulose and fibreglass are two of the most common insulation products, and their popularity is due mostly to their being the most inexpensive and easy-to-install products available on the market. Tropical Insulation chooses to insulate with cellulose for a variety of reasons.

Cellulose is specifically engineered to provide superior thermal performance over a wide range of climatic conditions and offers a variety of significant benefits such as:

• Improved safety during installation
• Soundproofing acoustical properties
• Cost efficiency
• Non-toxic home environment
• Made of recycled organic materials
• Energy savings
• Environmental sustainability
• Increased fire resistance
• Resistance to pests, mould and moisture

Environmentally Friendly

Cellulose insulation is a grey fibrous insulation material manufactured from of up to  87% recycled paper products and is one of the most environmentally friendly types of insulation available. Compared to fibreglass, cellulose is produced from mostly locally-sourced recycled paper (newsprint) diverted from landfill lowering waste and its carbon off-gassing, reducing our overall global carbon footprint.

Energy Savings

A huge benefit of using cellulose is the long-term energy savings you can enjoy. In most homes, you can save between 15-25% on your heating and cooling bills after insulating with cellulose because it effectively reduces conductive heat flow, the most significant form of heat loss in a home. Cellulose is a great choice for re-insulating and retrofitting homes, from attics to walls to basements. A properly insulated attic is considered the most cost-effective way to reduce energy consumption in residential properties

Safety

At Tropical Insulation we are greatly concerned with the safety of both our team members and our clients. That is why we choose to insulate with cellulose only. Cellulose is eco-friendly and made up of organic materials, which makes it a safer product for your home. In addition to the benefit of a comfortable and safe household, our insulators also benefit from not being exposed to harsh chemicals that can be included in other insulating materials. With no known off-gas effects and its particular ability to control air moisture (which prevents the formation of mould spores), cellulose insulation is often the insulation of choice for those who wish to safely “go green.”

Our Product

Tropical Insulation is proud to use Climatizer Plus™ cellulose insulation. Climatizer Plus™ is a loose-fill blown-in cellulose fibre insulation that is manufactured in Ontario, Canada by Climatizer Insulation. It has been certified by the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) ECOLOGO™ program and undergoes additional third-party laboratory testing as required by federal and provincial regulatory bodies.

Since 1983, cellulose has been our insulation of choice, allowing a safe working environment for our installers and the best choice within its application range for our customers.

In our last blog post, we discussed the decision made by Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government to end the Green Ontario Fund. While Tropical Insulation is still committed to completing all contracted work before the official cut-off date, October 31^st, any work that was not contracted before June 19^th, 2018 is unable to benefit from the rebate. Despite the cancellation of GreenON, we are pleased to inform our customers of the variety of rebate programs that are still available.

Home Energy Loan Program (HELP)

Through the Home Energy Loan Program, homeowners are able to benefit from low-interest loans of up to $75,000 to aid in the coverage of home improvement costs. The program includes basement, attic, and exterior wall insulation amongst a variety of other home improvement categories available to qualify for a loan. With interest rates as low as 2%, and terms of up to 15 years, HELP is extremely HELPful for homeowners who want to improve their homes over time and still have the ability to access other rebates offered by the Province of Ontario and utility companies. Following an easy application process, funding must be approved. After successfully completing these steps, the homeowner can hire a contractor of their choosing to complete their home renovations.

To learn about the application process, visit https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/environmental-grants-incentives-2/home-energy-loan-program-help/

Home Weatherization Program

The Home Weatherization Program offered from Enbridge is important to know about as the weather in Ontario starts to get colder. Applicants who qualify for this program can receive new insulation and draft proofing installed by experienced professionals for free! Yes, free. No catch. Living conditions that expose you and your family to drafts can be hard on physical health. Fewer drafts will mean a more comfortable household. Tropical Insulation is happy to partner with Enbridge to offer this beneficial program.

To find out if you apply, visit http://energy-savings-programs.ca/winterproofing-program/

Home Reno Rebate

In partnership with the Government of Ontario and Save on Energy, Union Gas offers the Home Reno Rebate. If you own a detached, semi-detached, townhouse, or mobile home that is heated by natural gas, oil, propane, electricity or wood within the Union Gas program area, you could be eligible for this great rebate program. Those who are eligible must complete at least two renovations from the offered options which include the heating system, insulation, water heater, windows/doors, appliances, and more! You could receive up to $1,750 rebate per insulation by applying for this rebate program. Tropical Insulation would be happy to honour your rebate if you select us as your insulation installers!

To find out more, visit https://www.uniongas.com/homereno

And Many More!

Here at Tropical Insulation, we are happy to honour a long list of standing rebates. For more information and a complete list of the rebates we currently honour, visit our Rebate information page.