If you want to improve your home’s energy efficiency, adding insulated siding is a sound investment. Consider surrounding your Madison WI home with a blanket of insulating foam bonded to vinyl siding.
Spring is an ideal time to schedule siding installation. When most people think “insulation,” they think about staying warm in winter. Insulation isn’t seasonal. It benefits your home all year around. It keeps heat inside during Wisconsin’s cold seasons. But just as important, it keeps cool air in during hot, humid summers.
No matter how much insulation you have between the studs of outside walls, there’s room for air leaks. Wrapping the house in a blanket reduces air flow. You benefit as your insulation works from the outside in. You don’t rely just on what’s between the studs.
Insulated Siding Boosts Efficiency And Curb Appeal
Modern technology gives you dozens of choices for adding new siding with built-in insulation. With so many colors, textures and styles you are assured on good looks along with top performance. You don’t have to sacrifice great curb appeal to save a few dollars on energy bills. Great style plus year-round performance is the perfect combination, right?
Vinyl siding is the industry standard for combining a tough exterior with bonded foam insulation. That’s one of the reasons vinyl is the No. 1 choice for siding throughout the country. When it’s time for new siding on your home, consider the benefits of including insulation:
- Reduce energy costs – experts agree, adding insulation to your siding isn’t going to get you huge savings right away. But, since your outside walls account for about 35% of all energy lost in your home it does make a difference. That’s more than the roof or windows. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is on record recommending using insulated vinyl siding when building a new home or replacing existing siding.
- Curb appeal doesn’t suffer – the insulation layer on new siding enhances the product’s appearance because it makes individual pieces lay flatter. Stiffer siding pieces provide a smoother surface and hold their shape longer and under more stress.
- Tough protection – the insulation layer makes the siding more resistant to impacts than uninsulated versions. Siding isn’t as easily damage by hail, projectiles launched by power mowers or misdirected baseballs.
- Moisture barrier – the insulation layer allows a structure to “breathe,” protecting it from moisture damage. A study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) demonstrated that insulated vinyl siding keeps a wall system drier and better protected from moisture problems than any of the other options.
The bottom line: A more comfortable home. That’s exactly what you’re after, right?
Added Bonus – Insulation Blocks Sound
The foam insulation bonded to new siding not only blocks airflow, it blocks sound waves. Studies show wrapping your home in siding with insulation built in can reduce the sounds you hear indoors by as much as 39%. That’s significant if you live near a busy highway or the airport, right?
Siding with insulation doesn’t block out all noise. Research shows it works best on higher frequencies. The noise levels the most annoying and dangerous – things like motorcycles, chainsaws and jets.
Siding Installation Pros
Vinyl siding with built-in insulation has a few drawbacks. The most important is initial cost. An insulated product usually costs more than non-insulated versions in the same color, style and design.
Although it doesn’t take more time or effort to install an insulated product, it does take skill and experience. Precise installation, with attention to eliminating all gaps between pieces of the insulation backing, is critical. A poor installation job not only detracts from the overall appearance, it reduces siding’s performance. No siding company has more experience or expertise when it comes to installing insulted products than Sims Exteriors & Remodeling. We’ve been putting insulated vinyl siding on Madison area homes almost since the day the product was invented.
If you’re planning a new exterior for your home, we’re ready to review all the options. Put our decades of experience related to siding, roofing and new windows to work. Call 608-825-4500, or email us to discuss how new insulated siding a your Madison WI home equals comfort and performance.