You might blame the people who dilly-dally as they walk through the door, bringing gusts of hot air along with them.

You can doubt the veracity of your air conditioner, which, if it's at least 10 years old, may not be cooling your home as efficiently as it once did. You can even curse the sun – the origin of your discomfort.

But if you're truly bewildered by why your home feels warmer than usual this year, don't overlook the possibility your home may need an infusion of wall insulation.

Home insulation in Las Vegas helps seal your home's “envelope”

Take it from the U.S. Department of Energy: “Most homes in the United States don't have enough insulation and are plagued by significant air leaks. In fact, if you added up all the leaks, holes and gaps in a typical home's envelope, it would be the equivalent of having a window open every day of the year.”

A home's envelope consists of the subfloor, roof, exterior doors, windows and exterior walls. Feeling more beads of sweat on your forehead may be one sign your home needs wall insulation. The best way to be certain is to schedule a home energy audit with First Quality Roofing & Insulation.

An audit involves the use of thermal or infrared scanning tools that detect temperature variations on walls. The department of energy says it is “the best way to determine where your home is losing energy and where you can save” money.

Nothing beats a “bare walls” approach

You don't have to be a home builder to appreciate the most efficient way to add insulation is while a home is being built, before the drywall is installed and the wall is closed. In this way, fiberglass batts or rolls, foam or loose-fill can be wedged in between the stud bays.

Two other “runner-up” options include:

• Installing wall insulation during the course of a remodeling project

• Installing wall insulation before exterior siding is replaced

“Drilling down” helps fortify home insulation in Las Vegas

Neither of these options may be available to you. In fact, like some Las Vegas residents, you may have found that while your home builder scrimped on wall insulation, you don't want to go through the expense of tearing down walls to fortify it, either.

In this case, First Quality would turn to the most common remedy: drilling small holes through the inside or outside wall (and usually the outside wall) and blowing in loose-fill material such as foam, mineral wool or polystyrene beads between the wall studs. Naturally, First Quality fills the holes at the end of the project, leaving them barely noticeable to the naked eye.

Feel a big chill with comfort and energy savings

What will be noticeable are the effects of wall insulation, both in cooling comfort and in lower energy bills. Since every home is different and every household has different cooling needs, it's impossible to pinpoint exactly how much money a homeowner will save with wall insulation. Estimates range from 15 percent to as high as 60 percent.

First Quality has long maintained home insulation in Las Vegas is one of the most cost-effective improvements homeowners can make. We've seen it benefit hundreds of homeowners in Las Vegas. Make an appointment for an in-home consultation with First Quality and enjoying chilling out with this way-cool club.