Is New Insulation Worth it in Los Angeles?

Let's start off by looking at a few facts you may already know:

Insulation costs money
The installation of insulation costs money

Never sacrifice the quality of the insulation or labour to save money. Especially now, when the LADPW is offering rebates for Los Angeles insulation. That’s not to say that all competitively priced jobs lack quality, but the term “you get what you pay for” can apply to insulation, as well. In every case the contractor should be at minimum SEAI and NSAI Approved. While it may cost more to choose an approved contractor rather than a friend of a friend of a friend, you want an insulation contractor who knows that they’re doing and can guarantee their work.

Now that we know a bit about the cost of insulation, let’s see why we think it’s a wise investment.

1. New insulation may increase the value of your home
Let’s start off by looking at the requirements for obtaining a Building Energy Rating, or BER. By law, an owner must obtain a BER before a new home can be occupied. It makes no difference if the home will be owner-occupied, or if the home will be made available for rent – it must have a BER. When selling or renting a preexisting home, the home must also have a BER, and the rating must be included in any advertisements and provided to any person interested in renting or buying the property.

A Building Energy Rating assigns a letter grade to how energy efficient a home is on a scale from A1 to G. It also shows the associated CO2 emissions; the lower the number, the better.

A recent study conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute found that with each improvement on the BER scale, the sale price of the home increased by as much as 2 percent. The study also found that a home with a A-rating, when compared to a D-rated property, had a sales price premium of 9.3 percent.These numbers were found to decrease slightly under better performing market conditions.

In addition to an increase in value, an energy efficient home costs less to run, has a more consistent and comfortable indoor environment and will leave a lasting impression on prospective renters or buyers when compared to a less efficient home.

2. An energy efficient home will keep everyone healthy
The return on investment with insulation is not just financial. With insulation you’re investing in your health, and the health of every other occupant. While insulation plays a major role in keeping us healthy, in must be done in combination with high quality building practices and other measures such as roof and wall ventilation. Proper roof and wall ventilation ensures that fresh air is able to replace stale indoor air that may contain moisture, pollutants, smoke and odors. Ventilation may either be passive or mechanical, and it’s typical to use a combination of both. You may see mechanical ventilation in wet rooms such as the kitchen or bathroom, and passive ventilation in the living room or bedrooms.

Numerous studies and reports have identified a link between proper home insulation and health. Families that live in warm and dry homes have reported fewer visits to their GP and generally feel healthier. In insulated homes the number of people admitted to hospital for respiratory illnesses decline, along with the number of sick days taken for both school and work.