Updated March 30, 2026

Even though you rarely see it, insulation plays a critical role in your home. When insulation is working properly, it helps keep your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer. It also reduces your energy use and costs year‑round. But insulation that is old or poorly installed can cause problems.

Here are the key takeaways from this insulation guide:

• Proper insulation improves comfort and can reduce your energy bills.
• Assess and seal exterior walls before upgrading insulation.
• The best insulation for you depends on your home, climate and your needs.
• Professional installation helps ensure peak performance and meet rebate eligibility.

Why proper insulation is so important

Proper insulation creates a protective barrier between your home and outdoor temperatures, helping maintain comfort and reduce energy loss. When insulation performs well, it helps prevent:

• strain on heating and cooling systems
• cold spots and uneven indoor temperatures
• drafts and air leakage
• higher energy bills
• moisture build-up and condensation
• mould and mildew growth
• excess noise from outside
• reduced overall insulation performance

An EnerGuide home evaluation will assess the energy efficiency of your home, including the amount of heat loss through your walls and windows.

How do you start an insulation upgrade?

We know it can be overwhelming to get started. Fortunately, here are a few tips to follow and experts who can navigate you through the process when upgrading your home’s insulation.

1. Get your home assessed.

Get an EnerGuide® energy-efficiency home evaluation to assess your entire home, giving you an EnerGuide rating and report. This evaluation will be done by an energy advisor registered with Natural Resources Canada, who will determine where your home has air leakage, so you know which areas to focus on first. This step is optional but can help you spend your money more effectively when deciding on energy-efficiency upgrades. The cost of this evaluation varies, depending on the size of your home, where it’s located and other factors.

2. Draftproof your home.

Seal any gaps or cracks in areas where you’ll be replacing or adding insulation, including exterior walls, before the new insulation is installed. You can do this yourself or have your contractor take care of it.

3. Hire a professional.

Trained and experienced contractors will make sure the insulation and supplementary projects (e.g. vapour barrier) in your home are installed properly. Many energy-efficiency rebate programs, like ours, also require insulation to be installed by a professional. DIY or improperly installed insulation can make your project ineligible for rebates—even if the insulation type itself qualifies. To apply for FortisBC insulation rebates, you’ll need to work with a qualified contractor who is also a Home Performance Contractor Network member. Don’t forget to share your EnerGuide rating and report, if you have one, with your contractor too!

4. Ask others.

Get inspired by people who’ve been through an insulation upgrade. Check out how homeowners of a 1980s house maximized their comfort and reduced energy loss with new insulation, and at minimal cost.

Always get a professional to install your insulation, to ensure it performs as intended.

Which insulation options are best for your home?

It depends. There are many types of insulation, each with its own unique properties and advantages. You’ll want to consider your home, where you live and the overall climate. These will impact not only the type of insulation you use, but its rating or R-value. Typically, a higher R-value provides better resistance to heat transfer. This allows you to keep warm air inside your home when it’s chilly outside and keep warm air outside on hot summer days. But not every house is the same.

The best insulation for you depends on where you’re putting it, your budget and the performance characteristics that matter most to you. Your insulation installer will have recommendations for you based on your unique needs.

Here are four common types of insulation to consider:

• batt
• loose fill
• board
• spray foam

Batt insulation

Batt insulation: pre-cut panels or rolls made from materials like fiberglass, rock wool or cotton.

Advantages:

• easy to install, especially in standard stud wall construction
• provides good thermal performance and soundproofing
• relatively affordable compared to some other insulation types

Loose fill insulation

Loose fill insulation: made up of small particles of materials such as fiberglass, cellulose or mineral wool that are blown or poured into cavities or attics.

Advantages:

• ideal for irregularly shaped spaces or areas with obstacles
• can reach areas that are difficult to access with other types of insulation
• provides effective coverage and good thermal resistance

Board insulation

Board insulation: comes in rigid panels made from materials like expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene or polyisocyanurate.

Advantages:

• provides high R-value per inch, making it effective in limited space applications
• offers excellent moisture resistance and durability
• can be used for both above-grade and below-grade insulation

Spray foam insulation

Spray foam insulation: liquid foam that expands into a solid cellular structure when sprayed onto surfaces.

Advantages:

• forms an airtight seal, minimizing air leakage and heat loss
• provides superior insulation performance with high R-value per inch
• conforms to irregular shapes and fills gaps and cracks effectively
• offers moisture resistance and can improve indoor air quality by reducing the infiltration of allergens and pollutants

Does FortisBC offer rebates for insulation?

Absolutely! We’ve got insulation rebates to help make it easier to make your home more energy efficient. Depending on how many areas of your home you’re upgrading with new insulation and how many square feet of insulation is required, you could get up to $5,500 in rebates (plus a $300 two-upgrade bonus).

Where can I find more in-depth information about insulation?

If you want to learn more about how insulation works, the different types available and how upgrades can improve comfort and energy efficiency in your home, check out the following insulation guides:

• Save energy by draftproofing and insulating your home: our energy-saving guide to insulation
• Best Practice Guide for Air Sealing and Insulation Retrofits for Single Family Homes (2020 Revised Edition): a BC Housing guide created in partnership with FortisBC, BC Hydro and the Province of B.C.
• Keeping the Heat In: a Natural Resources Canada guide to home retrofit projects, including insulation and air sealing upgrades
• Upgrading insulation isn't a DIY job. Here's why.: a blog about one DIY renovator who learned to call in the pros when needed

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