Custom Insulation Blog

If you have not taken advantage of the energy tax credit, the time is now.  Several federal energy tax credits originally slated to end in 2010 were extended through December 31, 2011.

Here's how the energy tax credits work:

You may claim a credit for 10% of the total cost of various home energy-efficiency products for your existing primary residence, including: insulation and biomass stoves.

For biomass stoves, the maximum combined credit is $300 (10% credit for the purchase of a 75% efficient biomass stove, insert or fireplace).

For other qualifying products, the maximum combined credit is $500 (10% percent of $5,000 in total cost) for all allowable products purchased between 2006 and 2011.

Tax advantages are just one of many reasons to conserve energy. Besides helping to protect the environment and reduce your carbon footprint, you can also save a lot of money on home heating. According to the Department of Energy, you can reduce your heating and cooling bills about 10% per year by simply turning your thermostat back 10°-15° for eight hours. Supplementing you home heating with a wood or pellet stove can let you do this.

Other cost-saving ideas include:

Insulate your home. Up to 30% percent of heated or cooled air can be lost through leaks, so add weather stripping and caulking wherever air escapes.
 
Heating water is the third-largest home energy expense, after heating/air conditioning and electrical appliances, so try lowering your water heater temperature to 120º F or lower.

Install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system to your fireplace to re-circulate warmed air; and always close the damper when not in use.

Bottom line: Take advantage of financial incentives available to make your home more energy efficient, now before the winter's chill.

Contact Custom Insulation Co. for more information on making your home more energy efficient.

Excerpts from Huffington Post

There are many home owners who want a fire, but the hassle of stacking fire wood, lighting a fire, and then keeping is lit is too much for many. Fortunately for them, pellet stoves came along.  A pellet stove is very effective and practical, it is also the perfect addition when you want to cut down on your heating expenses.

Pellet stoves look like wood burning stoves. But that is where the commonalities end. Pellet stoves are far more efficient and secure so are becoming increasingly popular.

What sets pellet stoves apart from an ordinary fireplace is the fact that it uses convection technology to heat up living space.
 
Basically, it draws cool air from the room into the firebox. This helps make the fire even hotter and that heated air is sent out into the room. But the outside of a pellet stove never becomes hot, which is perfect for families with kids or pets.

Pellet stoves also have a thermostat which is perfect for use during the night. You can program the thermostat so that the pellet stove operates at the lowest speed. You will use minimal pellets, stay warm and the stove will operate at its most efficient.

Interested in a pellet stove for your home? Have questions? Contact Custom Insulation Company.

Homeowners spend millions each year caulking, replacing windows & doors, and weather stripping to make their home more energy efficient. But, one of the biggest culprits of energy loss is the chimney.

When you have a fire in your fireplace, the chimney works great. It acts as a funnel and takes smoke and dangerous gasses away.

But, your chimneys work even when there is no fire. This is the easiest escape route for the warm air in your home. You can tell that air is escaping through your chimney if your chimney has cold air in it or if you feel powerful drafts from very small gaps in your windows or doors.

Cold air can't get in unless it is going out at the same speed.

How do you stop this?

1. Install a wood burning or pellet stove or fireplace insert. By installing a wood or pellet stove or insert you not only cut down on your energy bill by stopping the warm air from going up the chimney, but you also cut down on your energy bill in using  the new stove. Wood and pellet heat is a far more economical way to heat your home than oil, electricity or gas.
2. Insulate your chimney. By insulating your chimney you eliminate drafts. Stop the warm air from escaping the hole in your roof, and stop the cold air from coming in through other avenues when the air is no longer leaving your home. Boarding up your chimney makes your fireplace and eye sore, insulating your chimney is easy and efficient, and you fireplace still can look beautiful.

Alternative heat is a great option for your home. Either supplementing the existing heating system or entirely heating your home with a wood or pellet burning stove, fireplace or insert can enable you to really cut down on your utility bills.

There's a reason why a large number of Massachusetts homeowners are wood stove loyalists. Wood stoves are timeless in their appeal, they provide efficient heating and they have a unique style.

The selection of Lennox Wood burning stoves from Custom Insulation offer distinctive sizes and designs that combine superior craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology.

Regardless of your décor or your heating needs there is a Lennox fireplace that will fit your home perfectly. From gas- and wood-burning to pellet fireplaces, you have many choices.

If your home has an existing masonry or metal fireplace, there are easy and attractive ways to spark new life into it. Pellet burning fireplace inserts fit into almost any traditional fireplace opening to instantly transform your room into a warm and entertaining space.

We are insulation specialists. We can ensure, when we install your stove, insert or fireplace that your chimney is draft free, and that you won’t be losing valuable heat through the chimney. Who better to install your new stove, fireplace or insert than Custom Insulation Co?

We know, it’s July. But it is never too late to start thinking about how you are heating your home this coming winter. If you were one of the many in Massachusetts that got hit with larger than expected heating bills last winter, you should think about an alternative heating option for your home.

Regardless of your décor or your heating needs there is a Lennox fireplace that will fit your home perfectly. With gas- and wood-burning fireplaces, you have a long list of choices. One of our favorites is the Montebello.  This fireplace combines the elegance of a clean-face design with grand proportions and dramatic fires and puts out up to 60,000 BTUs.

There's a reason why a large number of homeowners are stove loyalists – they are timeless in their appeal and provide efficient heating and a unique style. The large selection of Lennox stoves offer distinctive sizes and designs that combine superior craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology.

Contact Custom Insulation today to find out more about cutting your heating bills this winter.