When is the Best Time to Insulate the Home?

April 27, 2016

There's much to consider when deciding on home insulation - much more than just deciding which product is best for the job. And while cost and installation are important factors, timing is a factor that many homeowners seem to overlook. Clearly, a professional insulation contractor will be available throughout the year, and will even install on short notice. But at the same time, it's worth considering the big picture, and planning an insulation project with some foresight.

Timing to consider

To a great extent, timing might depend on geographic location. For some, upgrading insulation might be best before the hot summer begins. For others, it might be best before the cold winter sets in. Here, it's a matter of preference, although pre-winter and pre-summer are clearly busy times for contractors. Being squeezed amongst demanding homeowners might be problematic.

Other renovations

When home renovations are in the works, or some retrofitting work, it makes sense to include an insulation project at the same time. In fact, whether it's a kitchen remodel or seasonal roof work, the timing is good to consider upgrading insulation. Here again, a professional contractor will be able to easily assess the need (if any) and recommend viable product and installation options.

Project budget cost

Planned renovations or not, project costs for insulation are always a consideration, regardless of the scope of work. And while there might appear to be pre-season sales during fall and spring, the truth is that insulation prices are actually consistent throughout the year. If it's about saving the most in energy costs, an experienced insulation expert can quickly figure out the pros and cons.

Saving on energy

Where a homeowner is wasting valuable dollars to heat (or cool) a home that is seriously leaking, the sooner this is fixed, the better. Appropriate R-Value is worth the investment - it means saving money on natural gas for winter heating, and saving money on electricity for summer cooling. Wasting energy dollars is a great determining factor when deciding when to insulate the home. For the majority of homeowners, the determining factor when insulating the home is the financial factor. Where the work has been deemed to be high priority, there's no question about the timing. In other cases, where the work can be planned out and better organized, then coordinating the upgrade with another home improvement project would make things very cost effective. Interestingly, not many homeowners do the necessary groundwork to determine if the proposed insulation work will make economic sense in terms of cost versus savings. Actually, this is where good insulation contractors can be very valuable - they can assess the cost-benefit of the project, and make recommendations on which approach would be the most profitable for the home. Other than insulation, there aren't any home improvement projects that can actually save money for the homeowner. That's why home insulation should be viewed more as an investment. In fact, the significant dollar savings on heating and cooling can often offset the cost of installing a high performance insulation product.