5 Reason You Should Insulate New Vinyl Siding

There is no better time to add insulation to the walls of an existing home than when new siding is installed. Walls account for 35% of energy loss in a home, more than any other component, including the roof, windows, and doors. This makes the walls a great place to start when improving the energy efficiency of a home.

1. Reduce Energy Use

Insulated siding helps reduce heating and cooling costs by wrapping the home in a continuous blanket of insulation, keeping heat inside in the winter and outside in the summer.

Even if you have pink batt insulation between your studs, there may still be an energy leak in your walls. The culprits are the wood studs: heat bypasses the insulation in the wall cavity and transfers through the studs, allowing energy to leak through the walls. This process is called thermal bridging.

Nearly 25% of a home's wall is made of studs that typically aren't insulated, so it's like having one entire wall of the home without insulation.

To combat this problem, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says "when new siding is to be installed, it is a good idea to consider adding insulation under new siding."

2. Enhance Appearance 

When you make an investment in new siding, you expect it to look great for a long time to come. Unfortunately, many siding products don’t look as good as they promised, or their appearance degrades over time through exposure to the elements.

The insulation component helps create a great looking exterior by leveling the wall under the siding, reducing imperfections in the wall. The contoured insulation also provides more support to the siding panel, helping it maintain it’s shape and original appearance over time.

3. Increase Durability

Most siding products are made to make a home look great, but they aren't designed to provide protection for the house. In fact, traditional vinyl siding products create a hollow void between the back of the siding and the wall, leaving the siding itself susceptible to damage when hit by things like hail, rocks thrown from the lawnmower, or a child's baseball.

Insulated siding provides significantly increased durability compared to traditional vinyl siding. The contoured foam insulation serves as a shock absorber against impact. Insulated siding stands up to the elements, whether they be from mother nature or man made.

4. Manage Moisture 

Insulated siding features a perm rating of up to 5.0, allowing your home to breathe and protecting against moisture damage. Despite some misconceptions in the industry that the insulation can contribute to moisture problems, studies completed with the National Association of Homebuilders Research Center proves that insulated vinyl siding actually keeps the wall system drier and more protected than most other siding systems available on the market today.

5. Create a More Comfortable Home 

By wrapping your home in insulated siding, the inside temperature can be more consistent room to room. The insulation also helps dampen sounds from the exterior, making the interior more quiet.