Cold Comfort
Figure out if you need insulation and why it's a win in all climates
Does your house seem to have mind of its own when it comes to your comfort? How do you know if you need to insulate and/or if you have air leaks? And yes it is true that insulation is helpful in warm climates.
But the windows of the house of Memory, and the windows of the house of Mercy, are not so easily closed as windows of glass and wood. They fly open unexpectedly; they rattle in the night; they must be nailed up. Mr. The Englishman had tried nailing them, but had not driven the nails quite home. So he passed but a disturbed evening and a worse night.” ―Charles Dickens, Christmas Stories
While drafty windows make good fodder for Victorian novels, they make for dreadful living conditions. When winter would come around, I would turn into a human icicle and engage in a perpetual battle with my thermostat. As soon as it was set, it liked to give me the cold shoulder. And I would wander around in layers of clothing, suffering all winter. If your house, like mine, is of fickle temperament, then the main antagonists are usually poor insulation and air leaks. Savings is the most widely publicized benefit of insulation, but it has other advantages including comfort, pre-empting future damages and reducing repairs; wins for you, the planet, and your wallet.