NAIMA Offers Insulation Tips To Home Owners Repairing Or Rebuilding Weather-Damaged Homes

Alexandria, VA (October 19, 2004) - With the recent natural disasters in the Southeastern United States, homeowners have many questions about insulation. The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) has a number of free resources and guides on its website, www.SimplyInsulate.com, to aide homeowners with their building decisions and provide tips on choosing and installing insulation. A home built as few as ten years ago likely has much less insulation than even the minimum code requirements today.

"As homeowners clean up after the recent storms, it is important to remember that the decision you make today about insulation will last the life of your home," said Ken Mentzer, president and CEO of NAIMA. "Insulation provides numerous benefits to your home including energy conservation, comfort and acoustical advantages, and it is wise for most homeowners to add insulation above the bare minimums required by local and state energy codes."

Wet Insulation

Homeowners in storm ravaged areas may have wet insulation. NAIMA wants homeowners to know that fiber glass insulation that has been wetted from rising flood waters should be removed and replaced, since the water may be contaminated. The American Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) provide similar advice. If fiber glass batt insulation is wetted from a clean water source, however, such as a potable water pipe, it can be removed, dried out and reused. All loose-fill insulations that are wetted should be removed and replaced, since they can lose their insulating properties, or R-value, when wet.

Insulation Pays

Your state or local utility may offer tax incentives or rebates for increasing the energy efficiency of your home through the use of products like thermal insulation. NAIMA's website, www.SimplyInsulate.com, offers links to these programs. Just select your state from the drop down list to learn about programs in your region.

Insulation is an investment that pays for itself many times over. The initial costs to install insulation are typically recouped in three to seven years depending on how much you already have and how much more you add. And, fiber glass insulation continues to save energy and help lower bills for the life of your home.

Free Information

Adding more insulation to your unfinished attic can be done at ay time, but adding insulation to walls and conditioned spaces is somewhat more difficult. The best time to think about how much insulation you need is when you are doing new construction or renovations. Considering insulation now will save you time and money later.

SimplyInsulate.com also provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), including:

• Recommended R-values for insulation in your state, including how much insulation should be installed
• Where to put insulation
• Information on how to find and choose a contractor

Homeowners can find free publications on SimplyInsulate.com which deal with:

• Installing fiber glass batt and loose-fill insulation (English and Spanish)
• Comparisons of various insulation products
• Labeling and advertising of home insulation
• Insulation and fire safety
• Insulation for noise control