Insulation can have a major impact on your home’s temperature. The benefits don’t stop there, though. Proper attic insulation translates into lower utility bills (savings up to 30% or more!), energy conservation, and a break for your HVAC system…which also cuts down heating and air repair costs. So you’re probably wondering how much insulation is enough insulation and what type is best. We’ve got answers.
1. How much insulation do you need to keep the house warm and get all the above perks?
Let’s talk R-values. According to Energy Star, homes in southeast states like Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and the Carolinas require an R-value of R30-R60. So what is R-value exactly? It’s a measurement of insulation’s ability to resist heat. The higher the R-Value, the more comfortable your home’s temperature will be – throughout the year. Essentially, the more insulation you have, the more warm air you’ll keep in your home when running the heat and the more cold air you’ll keep out. Same applies in the summer. Energy Star also says that the majority of homes in the US do NOT have enough insulation to be effective…so it may be worth having a professional get up in the attic and take a look around. Most companies give free evaluations and quotes. Then you can decide if the investment makes sense.
2. Now that we’ve established the importance of insulation – what type of insulation is right for your home?
Just like most products in today’s market, you’ve got options.
Batt Insulation – A popular choice, and with reason. Fiberglass insulation batts (most common) are easy to install compared to the alternative (more on that later) and often cost a little less. Depending on the size and shape of your attic, batts usually have to be cut and sized for a perfect fit – which can be time-consuming and tedious. A good fit is essential for the insulation to be effective, though; gaps will cause warm or cool air to leak out.
Blown (or loose) Insulation – There’s a large variety of blown-in insulation, some with more benefits than others. Equipment is required for installation which could be rented from your local home improvement store. Or you can use a professional insulation company that has materials, equipment, and will know exactly how much insulation you need to see maximum results. Our choice is TAP Insulation…here’s why.
Start making money back immediately.
TAP Insulation is an investment for your home and will provide a hefty return. It’s typical to save 30% or more on energy costs!
A cozy, warm house this winter.
Problem solved! Keep temperatures warm and heating costs low.
Goodbye household pests.
TAP is a unique insulation product that’s treated with Borates, a naturally occurring mineral that is an effective fungicide/insecticide against a broad spectrum of pests, according to the EPA.
Fire Protection.
TAP is also treated with a fire retardant that helps to limit the spread of fire.
Your HVAC system will thank you.
By keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, your heating and cooling system won’t have to work as hard…saving you money on utility bills and keeping HVAC repair costs low.
It’s never been easier to be green.
TAP is a eco-friendly solution – it’s made from recycled newsprint, saves landfill space, conserves energy, and utilizes a natural pest control solution.
TAP Insulation can also be added on top of existing insulation to increase the R-value. Still not convinced? Find out more here or schedule a free home evaluation.
A recent video on Yahoo! News asked the question, “What If Mosquitoes were Annihilated?”. The video reminds us that mosquitoes, although tiny, have a HUGE impact on humans. Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal killing more than 725,000 people each year. If mosquitoes are such a danger then why don’t we eradicate them?
Out of the 3,500 species of mosquitoes, only 3 of those are the cause of disease spread. Is it worth it to destroy habitats, danger the environment, and disrupt the life cycle of other animals?
To watch the video, “What If Mosquitoes were Annihilated?” click HERE.
We may not be able to kill mosquitoes across the world but we can assist you in mosquito control for your home in an environmentally friendly manner. Call us today for more information on our Green Mosquito Control Program.
At Northwest, we are committed to creating healthier living and working environments. Below, we have some practical tips you can try at home to improve your carbon footprint!
1. Don’t drink bottled water
You may just be using one bottle of water a day whenever you head to the gym, but multiply that by a couple billion and you realize that all that plastic is a waste! Though recycling them is a great option, an even better one is to get a reusable bottle and an in-house filtration system to get water from the tap.
2. Unplug it!
We have habit of leaving electronics plugged in when we are at work or not using them. A great way to save energy would be to unplug our cellphone chargers, laptops, TVs and anything that won’t be in use. Using a power strip can make this process simpler for you – one flip and it’s on or off!
3. The Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Following these three steps can help you spend less money, make less of an impact on the environment and get creative! Reducing means using less wasteful products, reusing means making use of what you already have and recycling means making your old stuff into something brand new!
4. Cold water works wonders
You may not want to shiver when you shower, but when doing laundry, washing with cold water reduces energy output. Many laundry detergents nowadays are available just for the purpose of being used with cold water so don’t worry about not getting your clothes as clean.
5. Use the microwave less
Using fresh foods or foods that don’t require microwaving eliminates waste in many ways. First, you don’t use the energy the microwave requires. Additionally, many microwaveable items come with packaging that uses paper products and plastic. Reducing how often you use the microwave ensures that you avoid using these products as well.
If your home is anything like mine you have a high electric bill in the summer and a high gas bill in the winter. When one goes down, the other one goes up. Luckily, Northwest Exterminating offers services that can relieve some of those painful energy bills from the bottom of your house up.
Northwest’s Complete CrawlSpace system will not only soften those energy bills but it will improve the overall health of your home. Crawl spaces are often filled with moisture. Moisture leads to high levels of humidity which cause mold growth, pests, and energy loss. Energy loss may sound like a good thing but it actually causes your system to work harder leading to higher energy bills. Closing in your crawl space can control the amount of moisture, correcting the issues listed above and preventing them from happening in the future. This would give you a healthier, more energy efficient living environment that could save you up to 18% on utility bills.
Another way to save on energy bills is to properly insulate your attic. TAP attic insulation can reduce both your heating and cooling bills. When you have the recommended r-value (insulation’s resistance to heat flow) your insulation works more efficiently, meaning your heating and air isn’t working overtime to compensate. TAP attic insulation can save you up to 30% or more on your utility bills. Other benefits include:
There are few things more important to us at Northwest than protecting the Earth. In today’s world, there is no excuse not to go green – especially, when it comes to pest control. NorPest Green is an all-around Eco-friendly program that utilizes what nature has given us to protect homes, and businesses from pests.
NorPest Green is a customized program that utilizes only the most innovative and advanced products and equipment available. Our products’ active ingredients are derived from flowers, plants, and natural elements from the earth. Our green pest control doesn’t use harsh chemicals and is just as effective as traditional pest control.
NorPest Green Highlights:
Kind to your natural surroundings
Uses botanicals and earth-based products
Enhances the health of living and working environments by keeping pests out
While the environment is crucial on our list of priorities, our customers are number one! That’s why we think home and business owners should… Trust the Mouse!
Introducing Green Elite by Northwest Exterminating
We’ve been working on something really big for our customers and we’re proud to announce that it’s finally here…GREEN ELITE!
At Northwest Exterminating, we have made a name for ourselves as the GREEN leaders in pest and termite control! So it is only fitting that our newest program allows customers to continue to GO GREEN with us! We wanted to develop a program that would benefit our customers and be an environmentally friendly solution for our environment. Many of our customers have more than one service with us. Since these services were typically on different schedules, our representatives were oftentimes making more than one trip out to a property to complete different services. Customers were also getting billed individually for each service. We knew there was a Greener way! Keeping with our “Go Green” mentality, we thought that by grouping green services like pest, termite, and mosquito, we could reduce our carbon footprint by making fewer trips to complete services, reducing fuel costs, and reducing the amount of paper that we use in our billing process…all while saving the customer money! It’s truly a WIN-WIN!
We like to have fun around Northwest Exterminating! So to get our team members excited about Green Elite, we had a party!! And to spice things up a bit, we’re having a competition on which service center had the most Green Elite spirit! You can help us decide the winner by visiting our Facebook page, going to the “Green Elite Spirit” photo album and voting for the branch with the most Green Elite spirit! You are NOT going to want to miss these pictures!
Want to join the Green Elite? Click here or call us at 888.466.7849 to Group Green & Save Green!
There are plenty of factors outside of your home that effect your health. That is why it is so important that your home is a healthy place for you and your family. If your home has a crawlspace, you are at an increased risk of having poor air quality circulating throughout your home. One of the best ways to prevent mold growth and control pests in a crawlspace is to enclose it. Closing your crawlspace has both health and monetary benefits. The moisture, mold growth, high levels of humidity, and increase in pests can make your crawlspace an unhealthy area. Because most crawl spaces are ventilated, these unhealthy factors can travel into the living areas of your home. Not to mention that when the outside warm air meets the cooler air inside, it can lead to higher energy bills. Enclosing your crawl space could save you up to 18% on your utility bills.
If you are interested in more information on Northwest Exterminating’s Complete CrawlSpace click HERE to visit Northwest Exterminating. This is one of our many services that prevents and controls pests, makes your home healthier, and is a GREEN alternative.
When is the last time you were in your crawlspace?
This Sunday, April 22, is Earth Day! As our customers and readers know, taking care of our environment is our mission and way of life at Northwest Exterminating. We are the leader in Green pest control and take pride in our services and ways that we GO GREEN as a company. We are constantly working to improve our green footprint over time. Some of our efforts include reducing our power consumption, minimizing our use of paper, applying technology to reduce fuel costs, and many other techniques that will make our environment a healthier environment for generations to come. We always keep in mind our 5 C’s: conserving, condensing, converting, controlling, and cutting.
Earth Day is a day to increase awareness and appreciation of our Earth and all it has to offer. Earth Day is celebrated in over 175 countries. We encourage you to participate in Earth Day this Sunday. Ways to participate:
Join in an Earth Day event (For events in Atlanta, or other parts of Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina visit the EPA’s Earth Day page)
Plant a tree
Recycle
Help clean up public roads or parks from litter and other debris
Buy local, organic produce
Commit to making your home or business more Earth friendly
Ride your bike, carpool, or take mass transit instead of driving your car
Northwest Exterminating has been servicing the Atlanta area for over 60 years. In the past 60 years, we have seen the industry grow to be more environmentally friendly while protecting homes and businesses from pests. During this growth, we have proven to be the leader of green pest control. NorPest Green is a program that was developed exclusively by Northwest Exterminating to get rid of pests while maintaining the lowest environmental impact possible.
NorPest Green is a customized program that utilizes only the most innovative and advanced products and equipment available. Our products’ active ingredients are derived from flowers, plants, and natural elements from the earth. No harsh chemicals. And just as effective as traditional pest control.
Check out our latest commercial that features some of the benefits of using Northwest Exterminating and NorPest Green to get rid of your pests. Not to mention that the cute factor in this commercial is OFF THE CHARTS
For your termite, mosquitoes, and pest control needs Trust the Mouse to Protect Your House. Call Northwest Exterminating for your FREE inspection.
