Is insulating your garage worthwhile?

While insulating a garage may be a common practice, we often wonder if it is actually worthwhile. Does it really keep the heat inside? There are no standards or regulations for detached garage, and attached garage often have mixed rules as well. While insulating your garage may be useful for temperature control, is it really worth it? There are no forced standards, and houses often don’t come with garage insulations. Many like to insulate their ceilings for a certain R-value, but even then, it might not even be necessary.

So, what are the benefits of insulating a garage? For most, it’s all about comfort. People like to insulate their garages for a variety of reasons. Insulating your garage can help to modify the usefulness and comfort of the garage itself.

Here are six reasons why insulating your garage may be worthwhile after all.

Treat the garage like part of your house

For most, the garage is an extension of your home. If you don’t want to use the garage for storage or cars, you can transform it into an extra room. Garages can be made into workout rooms, craft shops, extra bedrooms, or play areas for kids.

By insulating your garage, you can make sure it is a well-heated room. The insulation will make sure that your garage doesn’t get too humid or cold during the more extreme seasons. Add a space heater, and the room will feel just as comfortable as any other part of the house.

Keep cold out

Most of the cold air you feel inside your house comes from the garage. Although the door connecting the garage to the house is often well-insulated to prevent free air flow, it can’t stop the cold air from coming in when it’s opened. Every time you open that door, the cold from the garage flows right in. If you insulate your garage, it will become less cold and can therefore help keep the entire house warmer.

Heat also moves into the garage from the house as well. Since this exchange can go both ways, it is important to keep the garage just as well-regulated as the house. That way, you’ll never have a draft of cold or hot air coming in and out. Keep your home at the temperature you want to steer clear of the cold weather seasons.

Some insulation is mandatory

If your garage has any sort of plumbing or installed appliances, then insulation is a requirement. Most appliances such as washers, dryers, toilets, and sinks contain pipes, which would stop working if frozen. Prevent frozen pipes by adding insulation to your garage and installing a space heater to keep everything flowing smoothly.

This is even more the case for when the garage is a bedroom. Walls and ceilings must be insulated to keep the garage at temperatures comfortable enough to sleep in.

Protect your belongings

It is much easier to store belongings in a dry and temperate environment. Without an insulated garage, it can be too humid, too wet, or too cold to store certain items. An insulated garage can keep your room free of humidity and rust. You can easily store your products or machinery without it getting wet.

Insulation keeps out carbon monoxide

If you leave your car turned on while it sits in the garage, the insulation on all sides can keep the carbon monoxide from leaking into your house. Additionally, the garage doors are equipped with weather seals and other sealants to keep the bad chemicals out.

It is recommended that you get a carbon monoxide detector for your home as well, just for extra caution. Carbon monoxide fumes are poisonous, but odorless. It’s best to be protected just in case.

Keep it quiet

Insulating the garage can also help reduce noise, both from the inside and the outside. Those who are using the garage as a bedroom will be able to have a silent and peaceful room without the noise of outside traffic waking them up. Additionally, if you decide you want to use one of your power tools in the garage in the early morning, the insulated room will keep the sound from bothering the neighbors.

Insulate the garage door

You may have a garage door that swings upward or opens automatically with remote control, but if it isn’t insulated, then you’ve gained nothing. The garage door will help conserve energy and keep cold out if it’s insulated.

For additional advice and help with garage door insulation, contact us at 724-834-8450. Our representatives will be able to best assist you with any insulation or garage questions. You can also visit our website to design your door and request a free online quotation.