According to statistics, July, August and September are the months when most babies are born in Canada. With Spring having just arrived, many expecting parents are renovating and planning how to decorate their baby rooms.
Temperature, air quality, draft reduction and noise are important considerations for the baby room. Too hot or too cold is not healthy or comfortable for the baby, and a restful atmosphere is key to the healthy growth of children. However, when finding solutions to satisfy these criteria, NAIMA Canada noticed that websites and forums usually address temporary fixes and do not offer advice for permanent solutions.
“When you Google ‘how to keep a baby room warm’, most results offer tips about space heaters and layers of blankets,” observed Jay Nordenstrom, Executive Director of NAIMA Canada. “These makeshift answers don’t address the core of the temperature and noise problems. Tight building envelopes, with appropriate insulation in the walls and floors are essential to keeping the temperatures at a desired level. Insulation also absorbs sound which creates a much more suitable environment for children.”
The problem is intensified when the baby nursery is put in a room over an attached garage. There is often no insulation on the floor between the baby room and the garage, making the room cooler than the rest of the house.
Insulation keeps houses warm in the winter and cool in the summer, from the day it is installed. Temperatures in Canada fluctuate greatly—from recently experiencing one of the coldest winters on record to our very hot summers. To keep comfortable, families with inadequate home insulation have to crank up the heat or air conditioning, which results in high energy bills.
NAIMA Canada recently released Building Insulation: A Performance Comparison for Today’s Environmental Home Builder & Renovation Project. Building Insulation is a free guide that compares different types of insulation and which one best suits different types of residential, commercial and renovation projects.
“Investment in insulation offers a great return,” said Nordenstrom. “It is installed behind the walls, in basements and attics, quietly and effectively keeping us comfortable while helping save money and energy.”
Cost savings from proper insulation will always be welcomed by parents of growing families.
Below is a diagram from Building Insulation that describes the places that benefit most from insulation in a typical home.