If your home is not properly insulated, you are paying more than you need to in heating and cooling costs. That unnecessary cost often adds hundreds of dollars to people’s energy bill each year.\r\nAll things being equal, location, style of home, and materials used, the type of insulation you use in your home can make a dramatic difference in your energy costs. In most homes, the primary type of insulation used is thermal insulation. However, the right type of insulation can provide fire, acoustic, and impact insulation as well. Insulation can be made from a wide variety of materials. They include cellulose, glass and rock wool, urethane foam, polystyrene, vermiculite, perlite, wood, plant, or animal fiber, cotton, cement, and even earth or soil.\r\n\r\nBlown insulation is much better than regular insulation for a number of reasons. It reduces heating and cooling costs by 60%, improves indoor air quality, reduces noise, is fire retardant, kills mold, and keeps out pests. It’s also water resistant and lasts much longer than regular insulation.\r\n\r\nThe insulation used in the attic is the most important insulation in the entire home because this is where most of the heat escapes. Hot air rises, and when your roof isn’t properly insulated, hot air escapes thru the roof. This is why Provident Homes uses blown insulation in the attic of the homes they build.\r\n\r\nWhile not as important as the attic or roof, heat loss also occurs (but to a lesser extent) in your external walls. Without proper insulation your HVAC system will have to use more energy to keep the temperature in your home comfortable. To mitigate heat loss, Provident Homes uses R-38 blown insulation in the attic and R-13 BATT insulation to prevent unwanted air seepage through the exterior walls. This insulation creates an effective thermal envelope and keeps energy costs down.\r\n\r\nFor some people, the solution to high energy costs might be to add more insulation to their home once they buy it. That said, this isn’t really a practical solution. A wiser decision is to purchase an energy efficient home. Providence homes are properly insulated using R-38 Blown Insulation in the attic, R-13 BATT Insulation in the exterior walls, and R-30 Insulation in other parts of the home. The result is an energy efficient home that will save the homeowner money every month.