How To Find An Insulation Contractor To Improve Your Home's Energy Efficiency

(HIT) - For most homeowners, crisper temperatures are reminders to prepare our homes for the cold days ahead. Energy Awareness Month in October is the perfect time to make sure your home is as energy-efficient as possible to maximize the heated air you use. If your home was built before 1990, chances are it needs more insulation to meet today's Department of Energy recommended insulation levels.

If you don't have time to insulate yourself, find a professional insulation contractor to do it for you. To find an insulation contractor:

1. Check the Yellow Pages under Insulation Contractor or Contractors or
2. Calls friends or neighbors for insulation contractor recommendations or
3. Call the National Association of Home Builders Research Center for a list of certified insulation contractors. These contractors become certified only when they establish quality systems, train their employees and pass a series of stringent criteria via an audit. They are then audited annually.
4. Check the local Insulation Contractors Association

An insulation contractor will check your home's insulation levels and tell you where and how much you may need. Then he'll recommend quality products like CertainTeed's Insul Safe® 4 premium fiber glass blowing wool or OPTIMA® premium fiber glass blowing wool with OPTIMA® fabric in the Blow-In Blanket System.

Insul Safe 4 provides high thermal efficiency and total coverage including all nooks and crannies and tight eave areas. Plus, it's noncombustible and noncorrosive.

OPTIMA® is a fiber glass insulation designed for the Blow-In Blanket® System for use in new construction closed-cavity applications such as sidewalls, cathedral ceilings, and floors. OPTIMA® installs faster and, unlike most existing blown-in systems which require an adhesive mixed with the insulation, OPTIMA® is blown-in dry without any additives. In addition, OPTIMA® eliminates the cold weather application problems related to using an adhesive.

For additional information on finding and hiring an insulation contractor, write to the CertainTeed Home Institute, P.O. Box 860, Valley Forge, PA 19482, or call 1-800-782-8777 for a free copy of "Hiring An Insulation Contractor." Also, visit us at www.certainteed.com.