The snow has melted, birds are chirping, and the flowers are blooming, so that means only one thing – summer is right around the corner.

While these aspects of summer can be super pleasing, the hot weather can be a bit much if you don’t have someplace cool to retreat to. I’m talking specifically about your home.

If you have poor insulation in your home, that space can easily become a sweltering nightmare as the temperatures begin to soar.

RetroFoam of Michigan has helped tens of thousands of homeowners make their homes more comfortable just by creating an air seal. Think about it, if that sticky hot air can’t get in the air you pay to cool can’t get out.

Now sit back, throw on some board shorts, and grab a mojito while we discuss these signs of poor insulation.

Home Insulation Problems That Show Up in the Summer

Whether your home insulation problems are due to no insulation or your traditional insulation, like cellulose or fiberglass, is on its last legs, here are some of the issues you are likely experiencing.

• High cooling bills. If your monthly energy bills are through the roof in the summer, it’s likely because your insulation isn’t doing its job. Your air conditioner is running constantly to try and maintain a constant temperature, so of course, it’s going to impact those cooling costs.
• The upstairs and attic are unbearably hot. If you find that you avoid the second story of your home or your attic during the summer because it’s hotter than Hades, that is another sign that your insulation has failed you. It’s science – hot air rises. It gets into your home because either you have no insulation or the insulation you have has broken down or allows for air movement.
• Hot air moves into the home, bringing allergens with it. You are probably noticing yellow dusting outside of your home. That’s pollen and just one of the allergens that pop up this time of year. If air is leaking into your home, those allergens are coming in with it. Insulation materials like fiberglass allow the air to pass through it and retain those allergens making your home not as healthy as you’d like.
• Higher humidity levels. Is your house more of a sauna during the summer rather than a home? The humidity levels in your home are likely too high. Let me science it up for you – hot air is less dense than cold air, so it is easier for moisture to travel with it. If hot air is leaking into your home and through your insulation, it is bringing moisture in with it, thus making your home a sauna.
• Hotter air is lighter thus it brings unwanted odors with it. Just like the point above, the hotter air is lighter, therefore gasses and moisture can travel with it. One of those gasses is odor. Smells from outdoors, like mildew or exhaust, can easily permeate your traditional insulation leaving your home smelling like a wet dog.

Solve Your Poor Insulation Problems

You can solve these problems before they get out of hand by updating or replacing your home insulation before summer gets in full swing.

The goals and expectations you have for your home are your own, and those will dictate whether you stay with traditional insulation or if you upgrade to foam insulation.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of foam insulation in your home, check out the Learning Center on our website.