Insulating Your Garage Can Save You Serious Dough

By Author: Frank Froggatt
Total Articles: 96
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You almost certainly don't think about the issue of garage insulation very frequently. Most of the people who own their own home are well aware of the energy saving benefits of having their walls and attics insulated so they make sure that it is done. Their garages on the otherhand are not bothered with as they are normally not heated or cooled, I mean it doesn't really matter.

COuld we possibly be wrong concerning this? If you don't have any insulation in your garage, the temperature inside of it can be just the same as the outsid whether it's hot or cold. While the temperature the garage isn't a real concern for most people, it should be if the walls between your garage and your interior space are not insulated as this can be a huge source of energy loss resulting in higher electricity bills. Insulation has more purposes than just working as an energy barrier, it also prevents detrimental chemicals and other pollutants which might be in your garage from passing through the wall such as car exhaust fumes, fertilizers, paint fumes, and whatever else might be out there.

The only real way to separate your garage ...
... from your home and protect your home from the elements out there is to insulate the walls and ceiling that is shared between them. However, you have a number of options for insulating your garage walls and choosing the right one can make a big difference.

As Batt insulation has been a popular choice for many years, whenever a homeowner thinks about insulating their walls or their attic this is pretty much what they think of. Although you might notice that batt insulation has some of the same R-value's as many other types of insulating material, when insulating your garage it usually isn't the best choice.

The way that batt insulation is installed is in rolls. The bad thing about it is that it doesn't seal any of the spaces between wall and ceiling and can allow gaps to form between the roles. This is a hole in your defenses as energy is allowed to escape and fumes are allowed to come in through these gaps. Batt insulation is highly susceptible to any type of moisture, which will further reduce any insulating that it was doing.

Made out of solid sheets of molded polystyrene, another type of insulation is foamboard insulation which provides similar R-value is as batt insulation without the bulk. Foamboard insulation is pretty much the same as Batt insulation though in the fact that it won't fill the gaps in your wall.

In order to get rid of the gaps and the loss of energy and inflow of toxins, you need to invest in a type of insulating material that is going to completely seal off all of the gaps, and effecitvely create and airtight barrier. You can get this optimum barrier by using spray foam insulation as it completely fills in all of the gaps. The R-values are pretty much the same as they are for foam-board insulation of the same thickness, but the great thing about spray foam is that it is completely moisture resistant.
Spray insulation is by far and above the best type of insulating material you can use for your home. Learn more on DIY spray foam kits by visiting http://sprayfoaminsulationkits.org