Call Us Today!
508-488-9999
Home Blown-in Insulation & Gutter Solutions
13 September 2011
There are many ways to increase your home’s efficiency for the upcoming winter. Properly insulated homes have significantly lower heating and cooling bills. However, often homeowners do not think of insulation when looking for ways to lower their heating costs.
Your attic may be insulated, but check out your attic access way. In the form of a hatch, pull-down stairs, or a knee-wall door, attic accesses often go uninsulated. This gap in the attic insulation increases heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.
Also, attic accesses often aren't sealed properly. A 1/4-inch gap around the perimeter of an attic access can leak the same amount of air supplied by a typical bedroom heating duct.
Knee walls are often found in houses with finished attics, they are vertical walls with attic space directly behind them. These walls are usually leaky and often uninsulated. A knee wall and the attic floor in the attic space behind it should be properly insulated and air sealed.
Properly insulating air ducts located in unconditioned spaces such as attics, crawl spaces, garages, or unfinished basements can also help improve your home's energy efficiency.
Air ducts supply conditioned air from your space heating and cooling equipment to your living spaces. They also return an equal volume of air back to the equipment to be conditioned again. Ducts are typically made out of thin metal materials that easily conduct heat. Therefore, uninsulated or poorly insulated ducts in unconditioned spaces can lose 10%–30% of the energy used to heat and cool your home.
If you properly insulate your crawl space—in addition to air sealing and controlling moisture, you will save on energy costs and increase your home's comfort.
Contact Custom Insulation for more information on making your home more energy efficient.
6 September 2011
All over Massachusetts, memories of last winter haunt us. Many homeowners are now looking for less expensive, greener ways to heat their homes. Obviously heating and cooling your home takes energy and traditionally, we have had to rely on fossil fuels; oil, gas, and coal.
However, there are alternatives to heating your home without compromising warmth, comfort and convenience. Pellet stoves are very efficient in keeping entire homes warm even on very cold days.
Pellet stoves are very clean burning, helping our environment, they are economical, which helps our wallets, and they are efficient.
Wood pellets are considered biomass and are made out of a byproduct that would otherwise end up in a land fill: sawdust. Pellet stoves give homeowners an economical alternative to heating because the process of making wood pellets and the process of making pellet stoves is inexpensive. By using wood pellet stoves, we can heat our homes, save money and protect the planet.
Contact Custom Insulation to find out how a pellet stove can heat your home this winter.
30 August 2011
Electric Fireplaces are perfect for homes in Worcester because electric fireplaces are perfect for apartments, rental homes, smaller homes, or homes where the chimney has been closed off. The Lennox electric fireplace installs almost anywhere.
A fireplace is not just for warmth, you want one for atmosphere and ambience in your living room too. Electric fireplaces aren’t what you expect, not the Lennox anyway. They have a realistic fire, and the Lennox electric fireplace gives out 5000 BTU’s.
Not to mention, they are so pretty that they serve as decoration pieces in your home even when they are not lit. A Lennox 27-inch electric fireplace is for individuals who love the beauty and warmth of a true fire, but don't have the extra space for a fireplace installation. The MPE-27 electric fireplace is the answer to automatic home comfort with simple set up and easy installation capabilities.
If you live in an apartment in the city where there is no venting; if you are a renter or you’ll possibly be moving soon; or you simply don’t want the cost of a traditional fireplace, contact Custom Insulation, and consider an electric fireplace.
23 August 2011
Many homeowners are making home improvements to save energy this winter. Right now, all over Massachusetts, people are feeling the cool breeze and are beginning to think about getting their homes ready for winter. At Custom Insulation we thought we would remind you of the tax credit and how you can take advantage of it.16 August 2011
Properly insulating and air sealing your attic will help reduce your energy bills. Attics are often one of the easiest places in a house to insulate, especially if you'd like to add insulation.
Warning: if you think you have vermiculite insulation in your attic, there's a chance it could contain asbestos. Don't disturb it. Only insulation contractors certified to handle and remove asbestos should deal with vermiculite insulation.
Loose-fill or batt insulation is typically installed in an attic. Loose-fill insulation is usually less expensive to install than batt insulation. Often, loose-fill insulation usually provides better coverage.
Also, before having any type of insulation installed in your attic be sure to seal all attic-to-home air leaks. Most insulation does not stop airflow.
Also be sure to insulate and air seal your attic access if it's located in a conditioned part of your house.
You'll want to properly insulate and air seal any vertical walls with attic space directly behind them in your home as well.
Contact Custom Insulation Company for ideas on how to better insulate your home to decrease your energy bills this winter.
9 August 2011
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?
2 August 2011
Many homeowners have a kind of a love hate relationship with their gutters. You know you need them. They protect your home from excess water that pours off your roof during rain storms. The damaged caused by this excess water can ruin your fascia, soffit, foundation, landscaping and cause basement flooding. You often don’t even think about your gutters, until you notice that they are failing, peeling or need to be cleaned.
Often times, aluminum gutters are painted and they peel; several times a year they have to be cleaned. The down spouts get clogged with leaves and debris, and the gutters themselves collect everything from sticks and leaves to balls.
With seamless gutters from Custom Insulation, you can escape these problems. These aluminum gutters are available in a variety of colors with baked on enamel to ensure beauty for years to come. No peeling! The WaterFall Gutter Guard System protects your seamless gutters from debris and the need to clean your gutters.
Our Aluminum gutters with the WaterFall Gutter Guard System, helps take the hate out of your relationship with you gutters. If it is time for you to replace or update your gutters, if you are simply tired of cleaning your gutters with the change of the seasons, contact Custom Insulation.
26 July 2011
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?
19 July 2011
Pellet stoves offer an alternative means for heating your house. They are traditionally compared to the wood burning stove, because the heat they put out is similar, but there are those who believe pellet stoves offer some advantages over traditional wood stoves.
At the top of the list of advantages is the fact that pellet stoves are easy to load as compared to wood burning stoves. The pellets themselves are small and can be stored in a small space efficiently. Wood needs to be stacked and hauled, and needs a fairly large space to be stored. Pellets burn very hot so they burn very efficiently, because of this they create very little ash or waste.
The pellet stove hopper electronically feeds the pellets into the stove. The hopper can be programmed to evenly and consistently dispense the pellets, so in effect pellet stoves can be programmed to burn at an even rate and can remain at a consistent temperature over time. Many consider this the largest advantage because it allows pellet stoves to be very economical.
Overall pellet stoves can save people quite a bit of money in Massachusetts which is a region where heating costs are typically higher. If you are considering adding a pellet stove to your home, contact Custom Insulation.
12 July 2011
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.