Bills are the last thing we want to see increase. They’re too expensive already. But, low insulation or wildlife damage can affect your home’s heating bills. Warm air easily finding its way out of your attic will cost you money. Insulation’s main purpose is to overcome the cool air outside. Raccoons in your attic can reduce your insulation to nothing.
Raccoon damage
In the fall raccoons will do anything to find a safe place for their dens. They can claw at holes and destroy roofing material to gain access to your attic. Raccoons love to make use to attic insulation to create comfortable bedding area. Insulation needs to be light and fluffy and its effectiveness is destroyed when a 25 lb. raccoon compresses it down to nothing.
When inside your attic raccoons will use it as their bathroom. Droppings and feces can destroy wood and insulation. Insulation is the biggest victim to raccoons in your attic. They trample and contaminate it. In both cases it decreases the R value and requires replacement to avoid soaring energy bills.
Raccoon droppings in an attic.
R-value and the purpose of insulation in the attic
Insulation is mostly used to keep in heat. The purpose is to help prevent warm air from the furnace from easily rising through the attic. R-value is a measure of thermal resistance. When the R-value of insulation is depleted by damage then more heat will find its way out of your home. The higher the R-value the better thermal performance and heat retention and that means less warm air escaping into the attic and through the roof. When your home retains warmth your furnace doesn’t have to work as hard and that saves you money.
R is expressed as the thickness of insulation normalized to thermal conductivity and under uniform conditions it is the ratio of temperature difference across an insulator and the heat flux. Aging insulation loses R-value over time. Compacting insulation reduces its performance. So, raccoons trampling insulation lessens its usefulness and more warm air is released. This sees a rise in heating costs.
Raccoon activity in your attic can lead to trampled insulation.
Signs raccoons are in your attic
- Large holes or damage on the outside of the roof or soffit. They’ll tear a way in.
- Regular sightings of raccoons in your yard. They’ll come and go.
- Raccoon droppings. They only go in one place called a latrine.
- Strange smells. That latrine could be in your attic.
- Rustling, scurrying or scratching sounds. As raccoons enter and exit your home.
Hamilton wildlife control
Keep an eye out if you discover regular raccoon activity on your property. They could be using your attic as a den. Also, watch your utility bills. Dramatic increases could be a sign of infestation.
Contact Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control for all your raccoon removal needs. Our process is humane and we guarantee to keep raccoons out for good.
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