FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We offer a lifetime warranty on our insulation services. We stand by our work. Our employees are Building Performance Institute (BPI) trained and certified—meaning the work is done the right way, the first time.

A Home Energy Assessment, or energy audit pinpoints trouble spots that cause comfort issues and cost you money. Our certified energy assessors will perform a series of diagnostic tests on your home before making recommendations. Some of these tests include:

Thermal imaging – find missing insulation

Blower door tests – locate drafts & measure ventilation

Combustion safety – check gas leaks & furnace efficiency

Indoor Air Quality – certify your indoor air quality

Yes, think of it like putting on a new thick coat over an old worn out coat. Before insulating, add ventilation and seal energy leaks with spray foam including: attic penetrations, wiring, top plates, and chase ways.

However, if the insulation has become wet this can lead to mold, mildew, or building damage. If the insulation needs to be removed, we can do this for you.

Insulation is not just for attics and outside walls. Insulation should also be installed in other areas of your home such as ceilings with unheated spaces, basement walls, floors above vented crawl spaces, cathedral ceilings, floors over unheated garages or porches, knee walls, and ceilings or floors for extra sound control.

Each type of insulation has its inherent pros and cons and each is best suited for certain applications. That’s why at Comfort 1st we don’t specialize in only one type of insulation, but rather offer our customers the best options for their situation.

There is more to upgrading the attic insulation than just “blowing some material” up there. According to Energy Star, 60% of a home’s air leaks are in the attic, and stopping air flow helps reduce energy loss as well as unwanted pests. We make sure your insulation is installed right and tight!

According to the EPA, “Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations.”

Traditionally, homes in the past were built leaky; they relied on passive ventilation to bring in dirty air from gaps, and cracks in the building envelope. With advanced new construction, active ventilation supplies fresh filtered air to the home, and the building envelope is built as tight as possible.

We’ve taken the same approach as new construction and applied it to existing homes, so that you’re in control of your air quality. First, we find and seal energy/air leaks, and then we certify your air quality by installing a Fresh Air Ventilation System.

If your garage is heated full-time, it’s costing you money, and it should be insulated. Even if you’re not heating your garage full-time, insulation will keep your car or garage work space more comfortable.

Yes, upgrading insulation is an efficient, and affordable way to reduce sound. In new construction, sound reducing insulation is installed inside interior and exterior walls. For existing homes, your home will look the same, but it will be quieter and more comfortable.

Yes, ice dams can be prevented by stopping rapid heat loss into the attic. First, the attic should be professionally air sealed and ventilated properly. Next, the attics insulation levels should be brought up to code.

Particular attention should be given to sealing drop soffits, chase ways, and improperly vented bath fans.

R-value tells you how a material resists heat transfer. The higher the value, the greater the resistance. R-values per inch vary with different insulation materials. Therefore, how well insulation performs is more accurately measured by its total R-value than by inches of thickness.

For a typical home in Northern climates, the recommended insulation height for an attic should be about 16 to 18 inches.