California homeowners should want to do these two things:
- How to improve the energy efficiency of their home to lower their heating and cooling bills
- How to prevent pests from getting into the home
One way to improve the home’s efficiency is by sealing air leaks and adding insulation to keep cooled or heated air in the home and prevent it from escaping.
Before installing additional insulation into the home, it is recommended you obtain a whole house pest inspection. It is easier to treat for unwanted pests prior to installing more insulation. Depending upon the type of insulation product used, you may not realize there are pest problems, like termites, unless you have the home inspected.
Termites often go undetected in homes for years, because most homeowners are unable to recognize the early warning signals where they could be a problem with a growing infestation. Termites are able to hide, and they go undetected because they are so small.
In addition, many people confuse flying termites with flying ants because they look very much alike. Discovering termite soldiers and workers is also difficult, because these termites normally live inside the wood and avoid exposure to open air and direct sunlight, since it can kill them.
Once a colony is established, it quickly grows and expands until the infestation is spread throughout the home. Most people do not realize that a small colony consists of around 60,000 termites. Termites do not rest or sleep, and they are constantly working to destroy homes.
A small colony infestation consumes one linear foot of a 2 by 4 in about a five month period. Imagine homes where the colony has grown 10 or 20 times this size. It is no wonder why there is 1 home out of every 30 in the country with termite infestations.
How to control pests and improve energy efficiency
After receiving a whole house pest inspection to identify and resolve any current termite or pest problems, you can proceed with adding more insulation to improve your California home’s efficiency. One product many homeowners are discovering is called TAP insulation, which is natural fiber insulation pretreated with borate-based pest control, to protect the home against termites, cockroaches, and ants. TAP is safe to use around people and pets — even homes with babies and small children.
TAP includes the benefits of thermal insulation to stop the transfer of air from the inside to outdoors or outside to the interior of the home. This insulation product also provides increased acoustical protection to reduce sound transmissions, with the added bonus of pest control.
Because TAP is fire retardant, it is safer to use than fiberglass insulation, and it will help slow and limit the spread of fire in the unfortunate event of a home fire.
To learn more about TAP insulation, or to schedule a free whole house pest inspection, contact us here at Pacific Coast Termite, today, by calling 1-800-PACIFIC (1-800-722-4342).