On the off chance that you’re wasting a lot of money in making sure your Newbury Park rental home’s HVAC system in good working order, and still you are not achieving the results you want out of the furnace or air conditioner, you could be wondering if you need a new HVAC unit. What you might actually need is better insulation in your rental property.
Homes that are poorly insulated can instantly become maintenance nightmares, particularly in climates with extreme temperatures. Higher utility bills and constant repair calls can quickly drive quality tenants away. A good number of renters desire to stay in a house that is drafty and not able to maintain a comfortable temperature or one that requires constant HVAC work. By improving the insulation in your rental property, you can foster a well-organized, comfortable rental property and lower your tenant’s energy bills at the same time.
A home that is properly insulated is better able to endure many years of weather with less maintenance and repair. As per Energy Star, the right kind (and amount) of insulation can reduce outside noise, prevent pollen, dust, and insects from entering the home, control humidity levels more easily, and even reduce roof damage from ice buildup. However, having just the right insulation also means that you are allowing less strain on your HVAC system, which would then result in lower maintenance and repair costs and a longer life for your HVAC unit.
Industry experts estimate that most homes in the United States have significant air leaks. Even small holes and gaps can add up to big problems. In the end, these “small” air leaks are the same as keeping a window open every day of the year. It is generally understood that HVAC systems cannot run efficiently when windows are open, and the same is true if your rental property is leaking air around plumbing, through light fixtures, or around doors or windows.
The good news is that it’s not tricky to check your rental property and determine whether or not you need better insulation. As simple as going up into the attic and monitoring to see if your insulation is covering the floor joists or not can help. A practical rule of thumb is that if you can see the floor joists between blown-in insulation, you probably don’t have enough. If your attic has insulation batting, you can read the R-value printed on it or measure the depth with a measuring tape. You can then use an insulation table to identify whether you’ve got the right amount of insulation in your rental home’s attic.
Checking exterior walls is also not a complicated process. To see what kind of insulation you’ve got, remove an outlet cover, and look into the gap around the outlet box with a flashlight. You should be able to see if there is any insulation in the wall, and even how thick it is. Make sure to do the same process for all exterior walls, and on every floor of the home. Just because the insulation is present in one wall doesn’t mean that it is in all of them.
If you find that your rental property is not properly insulated, it is fairly economical to have more added to existing walls and attics. But the big payoff comes with a significantly lower strain on your HVAC system and lower energy bills. Putting some batting to your attic, floor, or filling exterior walls with blown-in or foam insulation can help the house leak less air, making it easier for your HVAC unit to maintain a consistent temperature. Lower energy bills, on the other hand, will help you to attract and retain quality tenants, who will greatly appreciate the utility savings over many months and even years to come.
Figuring out whether your property needs better insulation, and then knowing what kind to get if it does, can take a lot of time, though. This is why at Real Property Management Ventura County, we will help you thoroughly check each rental property for current insulation levels and then connect you with quality home services vendors who can help you create an energy-efficient and attractive rental property. For more information, contact us online or call us at 805-387-3682 today.
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