Save Money by Insulating Your Home Insulation is a wonderful thing; it keeps the heat in on cold days and keeps the heat out on hot days. Either way enough insulation in your home means lower energy cost for you. You can hardy talk about insulation without hearing about the R-Value. Have you ever wondered what that mean? R-Value simply means the ability of an insulator to resist the transfer of heat. When you think of insulation you mostly think of the pink fiberglass insulation made famous by the Pink Panther commercials. Cellulose insulation is another common insulator gaining in popularity, as it's a recycled product made from newspaper or other paper products. Some things to consider when insulating your home: • Start by understanding the recommended R-Value for your climate • Ventilation works hand in hand with insulation, consider installing additional attic vents, when adding insulation to an attic or a crawlspace, don't block vents • When installing insulation around recessed lighting or other heat producing items keep the insulation at least 3 inches from fixture • One of the easiest things you can do to improve your home's ability to keep heat in or out is to increase the amount of insulation you have in your attic, R-19 is about 6 inches of fiberglass insulation or 5 inches of cellulose insulation • It's always wise to wear protective clothing, use a dust mask and eye protection • Use expanding foam insulation around plumbing pipes • Don't forget your outlets, just remove the outlet cover and install the premade foam insulating pads and re install the outlet cover There are many types of insulation materials, regardless of which one you choose, your home will be more comfortable in the summer and in the winter when properly insulated.