How Insulation Reduces Household Energy Use
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Insulation works by slowing the transfer of heat through a building's walls, ceiling and floor, keeping warmth inside during cold weather and outside during hot weather rather than letting it flow freely between a home and the outside air throughout the day, regardless of season or setting.
Materials used for insulation, from batts to reflective foil and blown in cellulose, all work on the same underlying principle: trapping small pockets of air, which conducts heat poorly, within a material that itself resists heat flow. The specific choice usually depends on the part of the building being insulated and the local climate it sits within.
Because heating and cooling typically account for a large share of household energy use, well installed insulation can noticeably reduce how often and how hard heating and cooling systems need to run to maintain comfort, often paying for itself steadily over several years through lower ongoing energy bills each season.