Category Archives: Residential

Insulation Face Off: Fiberglass Insulation Vs. Cellulose Insulation

fiberglass vs cellulose insulationInsulation is crucial to keeping your home more comfortable in every season and to keeping your energy bills in check. Many of our customers say they see and feel a huge difference when they have proper insulation installed. On average, our customers see a 30% savings in their energy bills. That’s as lot of extra money you could be keeping in your pocket. But the amount of savings often depends on having the right type of insulation installed in the right areas of your home. Two of our most popular types of insulation at A+ Insulation are fiberglass and cellulose. Our insulation experts explain how they differ to help you decide which one is best for your home.

Fiberglass Insulation

Fiberglass is very popular in residential and commercial construction. Many homeowners like fiberglass insulation for its superior sound control and thermal efficiency. It’s also known to last for long periods of time, which helps reduce energy demand and costs. It’s usually used in attics, as well as in sidewalls or floors.  It comes in two types – loose-fill and batt.

Batt insulation is one of the more popular types of insulation for attics and walls. It’s attached to a facing, usually made of kraft paper or vinyl sheeting, which act as a vapor barrier. This facing makes it easier to install because it keeps is together in large rolls that are easy to handle and can be fastened into place. Loose-fill insulation must be applied using a blowing machine.

Cellulose Insulation

This types of insulation is very effective at stopping air infiltration, especially in attics, which is great for lowering your energy bills and keeping your home more comfortable. Some homeowners prefer cellulose because it is more environmentally friendly than other insulation types.

Cellulose insulation is a blown-in insulation that acts almost like a liquid when it is applied. It wraps itself around obstructions and flows into cavities big and small. It acts almost like a blanket, providing complete coverage.

Call us today at (913) 281-2250 or (816) 268-7511 to learn more about what type of insulation is right for your home. Download our FREE price guide for Window Replacement vs. Insulation below!

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4 Attic Insulation Options for Your KC Home

Don’t wait to insulate your attic. With the severe Kansas City area weather, attic insulation is one of the most important factors in keeping your home comfortable. At A+ Insulation, we want you to be educated on the facts about the different types of attic insulation and which one is best for your home.

InsulSafe SP

This fiberglass blown-in insulation is commonly used in attics and walls. It has superior thermal efficiency, as well as great coverage, sound absorption, and it’s non-combustible. It’s a popular choice, with 80% of A+ Insulation customers choosing to install it in their homes. Our owner, Mike O’Hara, even has it in his home. InsulSafe comes with a lifetime transferrable warranty.

Cellulose

Cellulose is also a blown-in insulation. It’s different from other insulation, however, as it acts similar to a liquid when it is applied, wrapping itself around obstructions and filling nooks and crannies that batt insulation can’t. It’s almost like a blanket around the inside of your home. Cellulose also has amazing thermal efficiency, keeping your home more comfortable no matter the weather. Many homeowners choose cellulose insulation because it is more environmentally friendly than many other options.

Spray Foam

We like to use CertaSpray closed cell foam insulation, which expands up to 100 times its original size to fill even the smallest, hard-to-get-to spaces. This insulation is great because it also acts as an air sealing system.

Batted

This is one of the most affordable insulation solutions. The downside is that it’s best for areas without a lot of pipes, wires, or other obstructions. Since many of these things require cutting the insulation to fit, it can cause gaps which can negatively affect the insulation’s ability to do its job.

When you choose A+ Insulation, we can show you samples of the product, and even offer a thermal imaging scan of your attic.  We review your current situation and offer improvements that we believe would be best for your home.

Call A+ Insulation today at (913) 281-2250 or (816) 268-7511 to talk about which type of insulation is the right solution for your home.

Insulate Your Kansas City Home Now to Avoid Problems Later

Don’t wait until you get a huge energy bill in December to call us this year. Get ahead of the curve and call A+ Insulation to install insulation in your home today. Not only will you avoid a high energy bill, but you’ll also beat our busy season, and save yourself damage to your home due to inadequate insulation.

Quicker Insulation Service

By calling us this fall, we will be able to provide you with a more efficient turnaround of insulation services. After the first really cold month hits, and homeowners see their energy bills, we receive a surge of phone calls for our insulation services. Beat the rush and make sure your home is properly insulated before the holidays. You’ll save yourself a lot of hassle.

Related Read: How to Know When Your Home Is Under Insulated

Avoid Home Damage

Another major reason you should install insulation in your home now is to avoid damage to your home that is cause by inadequate insulation. Not only does insulation keep your home more comfortable inside and lower your energy bills, but it also protects your home from damage caused by Kansas City’s melting and freezing snow and ice. Improper insulation in your attic can cause heat to escape through your roof. In the winter this can melt snow and ice, which then freezes again as it flows to the lower parts of your roof and gutters. The result is large chunks of ice and oversized icicles hanging from your eaves. We call this ice damming. It can wreak havoc on your roof and your gutter. Not to mention it can turn into a safety hazard for those below. And if you don’t have enough insulation in your exterior walls, you could also experience frozen pipes, which can burst, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage instantaneously.

Call A+ Insulation today at (913) 281-2250 or (816) 268-7511 to get started insulating your home now.

Why Our Customers Love Us . . . and You Will Too!

At A+ Insulation we pride ourselves on being a customer service company who specializes in insulation services. While our technicians are masters of their craft, they are also customer service experts. That’s because we aren’t a business without our customers – and we value each and every single person who trusts us to get the job done for them. If you haven’t called us yet to insulate your home, here a few reasons why you should.

A+ Insulation Is Award Winning

One thing that solidifies our outstanding customer service is our Angie’s List Super Service Award. We’ve managed to take home the honor five years in a row now. The Super Service Award honors excellence among service and health providers who maintain superior service ratings and reviews on Angie’s List. This means we are among the top 5% of service businesses on Angie’s List in the Kansas City area.

We Offer Honest Customer Feedback for New Customers

On top of our awards, you can read more about our great craftsmanship and service straight from current customers of A+ Insulation right on our homepage. We offer several unaltered customer testimonials on our webpage, as well as on other review sites, like Google+ and Facebook. Hear what people are saying about us, and see if it helps you decide if we earned that A+ in our name.

“Mike goes over every possible way to save money and is happy to give his expert advice with a non-biased attitude. When asking his opinion, he would tell me straight, but would never push his opinion on me. Mike was helpful, easy to work with, and significantly less expensive than any other company we got quotes from. He charges by the square foot, not by the job, and he includes patching and spackle in his pricing. He comes highly recommended.

-Ian F., Kansas City

“From the beginning I knew Mike and his team at A+ Insulation would do a great job. When Mike came to give us the estimate, both he and I climbed up in the attic to look around. He didn’t just peek his head up in the attic. He was willing to show me (a woman) what he was going to be doing. While we were up there, he found exposed wires and lighting that were a fire hazard and needed to be taken care of before insulation could be installed. He even offered to do these things for us. His staff was friendly, and cleaned up the area when they were finished. I could have paid less somewhere else, but you get what you pay for. Peace of mind is priceless.

– Dawn V., Kansas City

Call A+ Insulation at either (816) 268-7511 or (913) 281-2250 for superior customer service and excellent insulation repair and installation.

Save Now with A+ Insulation: How to Calculate Your Home’s Energy Savings

insulation calculatorDoes your home experience hot and cool spots throughout the year? Does your home seem drafty? Have you noticed unusually high energy bills in recent months? These things could be signaling that your home is in need of more insulation. If you’re not sold just yet though, there are ways to calculate how much you could save with proper insulation installed by professionals on the A+ Insulation website.

Insulation Calculator

We don’t want our customers to feel like they’re being lied to or gypped. So in an effort to be more transparent, we’ve added an insulation calculator on our website that is almost stupidly easy to use. All you have to do is plug in the proper information for you home, like the geographical area where you live and the square footage of your home. It walks you through the process and then gives you recommendations on the amount of insulation needed to keep your home more energy efficient.

Interactive Energy House

Another energy saving resource we have on our website that makes it easier for you to make energy-smart choices is the Interactive Energy House from Energy Star. This neat little house lets you click through different parts of the home that correspond with most American homes, and then gives you energy saving tips for different areas of each room. It covers everything from insulation needs in the attic and walls, to your heating and cooling system in your basement. This is a great way to find out how to start making your home more energy efficient today and in the future.

Visit the A+ Insulation website today to take advantage of these awesome resources that can help you make a more informed decision. Then, call the insulation pros when you’re ready to talk about your home’s specific needs. You can reach us at either (913)281-2250 or (816)410-4100.

4 Ways to Know Your Home Is Under Insulated

icicles under insulationInsulation plays a huge role in how comfortable your home is during all four seasons of the year. Not having enough of it can leave your family too hot or too cold, and it can drastically affect the cost of your energy bills. And 90% of homes in the United States fall under one or all of those categories.  Here are a few ways to tell if your Kansas City area home is under insulated.

High Energy Bills

High energy bills can be attributed to many things. But if you’ve already had your heating and cooling system checked for efficiency and your windows are in good shape, insulation is probably your issue. In this case your heating and cooling system has to work harder during all seasons because a home that isn’t properly insulated allows heat in the summer and cold air in the winter into your home.

Your Pipes Freeze in the Winter

Do you have to deal with frozen pipes in the winter? This could be a telltale sign that you need more insulation in your home. If you wait too long to get the issue fixed you could have a real mess on your hands that will cost you a lot more money than having insulation installed. If your frozen pipes burst you could be looking at a gutted home.

Your Home Experiences Ice Damming

Another problem poor home insulation can cause in the winter is ice damming. This happens when your warm roof melts the snow on top of it. The melted snow then runs down your roof until it hits the unheated part past the exterior walls near your gutter, where it re-freezes creating an ice dam. This can damage not only your roof, but your gutters as well. And it can pose a danger to people or objects below your roof. Proper roof insulation is very important to safeguard your home from this winter issue.

Upstairs Rooms Are Significantly Warmer in the Summer

Another sign you need more insulation is if your home experiences more heat and humidity on the upper floors in the summer. Temperature variances of 10-15 degrees or more between your lower and upper floors is a sign you should call an insulation company to talk about their insulation services. Inconsistent temperatures can affect how hard your heating and cooling system has to work, which can also cost you more money on your energy bills.

 

Call A+ Insulation today for a free insulation estimate at 913-281-2250.

5 Reasons to Call A+ Insulation

A+ Insulation VanResidential or commercial insulation is not something you should leave up to amateurs. The right type and amount of insulation varies by space, location, problem, as well as desired outcome. And it takes an educated technician to know when each is needed. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to insulating your Kansas City home or business, here are five reasons to call A+ Insulation today.

1) All A+ Insulation Team Members Are Certified Insulation Master Craftsmen

This means they have passed a test of product knowledge. Master craftsmen know all the specifics about our products and services, like where to use each type of insulation, and how much is necessary in each situation. They also have to pass an insulation test that requires them to know how to determine what type of insulation your home or business might already have.

2) Each Project Has an On-Site Manager for the Entire Project

The on-site managers oversee the crew working on the project. They are extremely experienced when it comes to insulation installation, as many of our managers have moved up the ranks over the years. Our on-site managers are also the main point of contact for homeowners. They walk you through the process of the project step by step. Our managers can also address any questions or issues you might have.

3) A+ Insulation Educates our Customers on the Project

A+ Insulation wants each homeowner to be well educated when it comes to their home’s insulation. This helps homeowners understand the value that they are putting into their home with new installation, how it can help them when it comes to energy bills, and what type of lifespan and pricing they can expect.

We provide each homeowner with before, during and after photos of the project, so you know where your money is going. Insulation is usually added to crawl spaces, attics, or behind walls where most homeowners can’t get to, so the pictures allow you to see what’s going on. We also offer an option for you to purchase a portfolio of your project, which entails the photos, the amount of bags of insulation used, and other important information.

4) Your Home Stays Clean from Start to Finish

You’ll hardly notice we  are there throughout the entire project. At A+ Insulation, we want you to feel comfortable in your home while we install your insulation. That’s why we cover the entire path of the project in plastic. This ensures that we don’t track in any dirt from outside, or any mess from the project area into your home. Many homes we work on are cleaner after we leave than when we got there!

5) Customer Service

At A+ Insulation, we pride ourselves on earning the grade. We want our customers to be 100% satisfied. That’s why we offer a one-year guarantee on our work, and always finish the job with a customer satisfaction survey to make sure we are doing everything we can to better serve you. We bend over backwards to accommodate our customers. And most of our customers would agree. We have more than 250 five-star reviews on review sites, as well as dozens of testimonials on our website. We make sure customer satisfaction stays our number one priority with our company structure. We hold our project managers accountable for the work that is done at each home. This means blame is never deflected.

For excellent insulation services that make the grade, call A+ Insulation today at, 913-281-2250.