A lot of residents tend to treat this question as a tricky one. In all honesty, it is neither tricky nor that hard to answer.
Insulating a home is a noble process for the homeowner. It protects the home from the undesirable effects of changing weather patterns. For instance, a home in Louisiana is insulated for key reasons such as protection from Louisiana’s damp soil and to insulate it from Louisiana’s scorching hot summers.
The same goes for homes based in and around Dallas and Houston in Texas, plus in FLorida and in other southern states of the United States. In fact, every state in the United States has insulated homes, which also protect it from mould and rust. Homes in Michigan are insulated too (New York is no exception).
And what about Canada? Are Canadian homes insulated? Let’s find out.
Insulated homes in Canada – an overview
Canadian homes are also insulated too. In fact, the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC) has the following to state for an insulated home as it compares a properly insulated house to dressing according to the weather:
A wool sweater will keep you warm if the wind is not blowing and it is not raining. On a windy, rainy day, wearing a nylon shell over your wool sweater helps keep you reasonably dry and warm. A house is similar. On the outside, underneath the brick or siding, there is an air barrier that does the same thing as the nylon – it keeps the wind from blowing through. Then there is the insulation (like your sweater) and a vapor barrier, which helps keep moisture away from the house structure where it can do damage.
It is obvious that a vast majority of homes in Canada are insulated not just because Canada is the coldest nation in North America but also, laws and regulations in the country are among the most stringent ones in the developed world.
How seriously does the Canadian Government take the issue of urban and housing development and planning?
Other than that, the country takes urban planning and development quite seriously, especially when it comes to housing. Such an aspect can be observed in the cities of Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
The aforementioned cities are ranked among Canada’s largest and out of these six cities; Toronto is not just the largest and Canada’s financial capital, but also one of the largest in the Americas and the world too.
It not only is the most preferred living spot of all Canadians and immigrants alike, but also is becoming a global culture spot.
A unique aspect of Toronto’s urban planning is the way the city council mixed apartment buildings in residential lots to prevent the occurrence of suburban sprawl. Unfortunately, like most North American cities, suburban sprawl took place in Toronto as well as in cities like Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver.
Toronto’s sprawl is however the largest in comparison to other cities.
Other than that, housing insulation is compulsory in Canada. The Government of Canada has mentioned the types of walls and construction on its website as well as the kind of insulation used for both normal and energy efficient homes.
Other than that, insulation for both homes and condo is different (only for the aspect of exteriors as interior insulation is the same). Then again we will now be discussing when to insulate either the interior or exterior of a home.
Insulating the Interior of a home
Residents should consider insulating the interior of their home for the following reasons:
Residents live in either a condo or an apartment
In technical terms, residents only own what is contained within the inside walls of their residential unit. As, the Homeowners Association (HOA) or the Condo Board will not allow residents to make any modifications to the building’s exterior.
Party walls are walls shared by two or more owners and they go well with interior insulation. This not only reduces just the noise from neighbours, but also because fire-proof insulation prevents fire from spreading fast from one unit to the other.
The space in the home is sufficient
Addition of interior insulation helps reduce the space of a home by a certain number of inches per wall. It also depends on the materials used and selected. If residents are living in a home that is large enough for numerous residents to live nicely, or has an open style layout, insulating the interior works best.
Other than that, insulating the interior walls is more affordable than insulating the exterior walls.
The exterior walls are unreliable
If residents live in a home having unreliable exterior walls or walls which cannot be easily repaired, or if the residents just wish to avoid altering their design; the best solution is to apply insulation on the inside.
External insulation relies a lot on scaffolding and drilling into the walls. It is best to consult a contractor to see whether such is applicable in a resident’s case, or not.
Residents are living in a heritage listed building
Heritage listed buildings are often referred to as listed buildings. If residents are living in a historic building, or in that part of town that is listed as historic, application of exterior insulation is most likely to cause aesthetic damage to its facade.
There is also a good chance that no permit will either be needed nor will be granted to residents to carry out this work.
Even if residents do get a permit, they might need to match the already existing design with the insulations and in some cases, it can blow the budget. In such scenarios, insulating the interior is the only alternative they have.
The interior is being redecorated by residents
Applying interior insulation can be disruptive to a resident’s household, even if they chose to do it one room at a time. Residents will need to remove frames of doors and windows, electrical boxes, skirting boards and other fittings during the process, as well as cleaning the floors and tiles once the world is done.
Those who already have scheduled for redecorating their home, now is a good time to start the work on internal insulation.
Insulating the exterior of a home
Residents can consider insulating the exteriors of their home for the following reasons:
Residents live in a detached home
Because a typical detached home does not share exterior walls with other homes or buildings, residents living there are more than likely to lose heat. If they also have an attic and a basement in their detached home, insulating the exterior is compulsory because the heat will escape both ways.
Other than that, most of the older homes do not have interior insulation while also having too little space to allow it. This case specifies that exterior insulation works best.
Residents live in an area which is either quite lively or quite noisy
Though soundproofing can be applied both inside and out, it has much better outcomes on exterior walls. It is also a good thing to understand that sound travels through walls hence it is difficult to create a good soundproof barrier with interior insulation.
Through external insulation, the thickness of the layers can be increased substantially with residents not having to worry about losing space. They can in fact consider this type of insulation if they live in close proximity to highways, airports or flight paths, or in neighbourhoods that receive a lot of vehicular traffic.
Residents are facing issues due to dampness
Addition of interior insulation makes the walls colder resulting in condensation in both the inside and on the wall’s surface. This causes mildew and mould, resulting in wall decay. Exterior insulation works quite well in this regard because it prevents dampness from penetrating the walls without affecting their temperature on the inside.
Residents live in a cold area
Both the interior and exterior insulation will improve the energy efficiency of a home. But if residents are living in places having cold winters (like Edmonton, Saint John, Fort Mackay, Fort McMurray, Winnipeg, Calgary, Sudbury, Kingston or Ottawa) then insulating the exterior walls is much more useful.
Not only will such insulation protect the outer walls but will also reduce the risk of condensation when windows are open making the home a bit airier.
When residents are building the home of their dreams
Obtaining permits for exterior insulation is difficult, and can become impossible in some cases. Hence, if residents or prospective homeowners are in the process of constructing their own home, now is the best time to get a permit for exterior insulation.
It is also easier to install exterior insulation on basements at this stage, as no resident needs worrying about digging and revealing the foundations later on. This is also a good time to apply insulation materials to the middle wall as it is otherwise a much more difficult job for the workers and contractors to carry out.
Conclusion
Exterior Insulation can be conducted if residents are living in detached homes, townhouses or mansions in either the inner-city or the outer-city suburbs. Interior insulations work best for residents living in any kind of home; be it an apartment, a condo, a mansion, a loft, a row house or a townhouse anywhere in the world (even in Canada).
If residents are doubtful about the current insulation of their homes, they should have it checked through an expert contractor to see if any work needs to be done, or not.
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