This winter, homeowners all over the Chicago land area will be looking for ways to save money on their energy bills. One of the most common ways that homeowners achieve this is by improving the amount in insulation in their attic spaces. However, we all need to be on the lookout for illegitimate attic insulation companies! These companies use fraudulent practices to increase their profit as much as possible. Techniques like “shorting” and “fluffing” are common practices that cheat homeowners out of hundreds of dollars without ever solving the inadequate insulation problem.
Know the Scam
When you understand the scams that these companies are trying to pull, you will be able to better prevent yourself from becoming a victim of attic insulation fraud. The first scam that is used is called “shorting.” Shorting is when a company doesn’t install enough insulation to meet the required R-value for your climate. An R-value is the way that insulation material is measured. If you live in Chicago or any of the surrounding areas, your home needs an R-value of 60 in the attic. In older homes, the insulation is often highly inadequate with measures around 20 or lower due to gaps and holes in the insulation. However, when a company uses this scam tactic, they charge you for the amount of insulation that would be needed to reach the desired R-value, but only install enough to make it look like the job was done properly. Homes that have fallen victim to this type of scam are often 20-30% under the necessary R-value, and some even have the same gaps and holes that caused their inadequate insulation problem in the first place.
The second scam that is used is called “fluffing.” When this tactic is used, the company fluffs up the blown-in attic insulation by increasing the air on the insulation machine. So, when the fiberglass is blown in, it covers a larger area with less insulation material. The problem here is that the insulation is not dense enough to reach the necessary R-value for the climate. To the unsuspecting homeowner, it looks like the job was done properly because the entire attic is covered, and it looks full. Companies that use this practice will often focus on the number of inches of insulation rather than the R-value. R-values can be roughly translated into inches of insulation. For example, an R-value of 60 is equivalent to about 21 inches of insulation, but 21 inches of insulation can be achieved with much less insulation than it would take to reach the r-value of 60. Before hiring an insulation company, make sure that they can actually prove the R-value of the insulation that they install for you.
Choose Four Seasons
When you choose Four Seasons for your attic insulation needs, you are choosing a company that has nearly 40 years of reputable service under their belt. We have proven ourselves time and again as an honest and trustworthy company that doesn’t use fraudulent tactics to increase profit. All of the work we perform, including out attic insulation services, is backed up by our 100% satisfaction guarantee, and if at any time you are not satisfied with our services, our around the clock customer service department is there to solve any issues that you may have. We understand that there are companies out there that make is increasingly difficult for consumers to trust any contractor, but Four Seasons will take every measure possible to ensure that when you trust Four Seasons you receive top of the line services.
