Insulation is absolutely crucial to maintaining the health and wellbeing of your home, as well as your comfort. By improving heat retention and increasing energy efficiency, insulation makes your home more comfortable and reduces energy costs, but it can do far more than this. Insulation in a property’s crawl space or basement, for example, is also imperative to preventing dampness and protecting your plumbing system. Good insulation will keep your home warm and dry and prevent your pipes from freezing. Of course, insulation generally has a long lifespan (anywhere from 15 to 25 years, or even longer, depending on the material), and some can be classed as having no exhaustible lifespan. Nonetheless, many forms of insulation will degrade over time and all are susceptible to some form of damage. The only form of insulation that is generally resistant to organic decay is foam insulation. Fiberglass insulation, by contrast, is quite vulnerable to things like dampness and can degrade quite badly when they are faced with prolonged dampness. The signs of damage to insulation include, but are not limited to, discoloration, warping, structural breakdown (for example, insulation hanging in strips), and a rotten or pungent odor in the areas around insulation. If you notice these signs, or you have concerns about your insulation, you should contact a professional to discuss your home’s health. Replacing insulation is fairly straightforward. So as long as there is no secondary damage to deal with, this process should be quick and cost-effective. Acting quickly is key to preventing avoidable secondary issues and problems, however, so do not ignore signs of damage, no matter how small they may seem.