why is a good insulator important for conserving energy in homes during the winter?
110943
The air inside attempts to equalize with the air outside.  This means if you have bad insulation, your warm air will seap out and cold air will seap in.  With good insulation, this will happen less, and it won't take as much money or energy to keep the house warm.
973898
That is a fantastic question.\nIt is a matter of humidity. The cold weather\nthat allows snow means the air is not humid\nenough to allow an electric current to travel\n(along the water vapor in the air) over the differently\ncharged clouds and sky. People who say temp are\nsort of right, but it is the low temp that leads to the low\nhumidity that causes the "problem".\n\nThanks for asking such a good question.
242077
The snow holds pockets of air which act as insulation.Because they are low and round the heat circulates lower in the shelter.The heat is provided by the human body and can be regulated by the individual possessing that body.The igloo also shelters from the elements such as wind chill
999843
High-voltage insulators used for high-voltage power transmission are made from glass, porcelain, or composite polymer materials. Porcelain insulators are made from clay, quartz or alumina and feldspar. Alumina insulators are used where high mechanical strength is a criterion. Glass insulators were, and in some places are still used to suspend electrical power lines. Most insulator manufacturers stopped making glass insulators in the late 1960's, switching to various ceramic and, more recently, composite materials.\n\nRecently, many electric utilities have begun converting to composite insulators which consist of a central rod made of fibre reinforced plastic and an outer weathershed made of silicone rubber or EPDM. Composite insulators are less costly, lighter weight, and they have excellent hydrophobic capability. This combination makes them ideal for service in polluted areas.\n\n\nLow-voltage insulating materials\nFlexible insulating materials such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or neoprene are used to reduce the possibility of a person coming into contact with a 'live' wire.
34806
Because the stuff they use to coat the wire is (A) an insulator (B) flexible enough to bend where the wire does (C) durable to last at least 30 or 40 years (D) impervious to water (E)able to withstand the highest voltage the insulator is designed and UL listed for (F) able to withstand the temperature that the insulator is designed and UL listed to still be operable for.
524258
Good point! \nCongratulations, that's got me thinking. Ouch!\n\nCould it have something to do with maintaining the frozen goods in the freezer, which obviously is less important in a fridge. Afterall, when the light comes on in the fridge it produces kinetic energy that turns the light into heat which could linger trapped inside once the door is shut again. \n\nWell, that's my feeble attempt at an answer. It would just drive me crazy otherwise!
774374
It's because there is typically less humidity in the air in the winter.  Humidity refers to moisture in the air and dampness on the surfaces of objects, and this moisture helps to dissipate or equalize the static charge.
404374
The critical barrier to insulate is the wall between the living area and the garage. You lose heat thru the wall.\n\nAs for the attic above the garage, that is a waste of money for the insulation. \n\nThink of the living envelope of your home needing to be protected and insulated. The walls and ceiling create this envelope. Some people try to increase their living space by modeling their basement and some by modeling the attic. You are fooling yourself if you think this added space is as equal in comfort as the original envelope. \n\nYou can cause more trouble than what it's worth when changing the attic. Cold air is suppose to circulate cooling and drying the moisture which escapes up thru the ceiling. Adding another insulated barrier prevents this from happening.
816315
The tree will provide some radiative insulation on a clear cold winter night.  All objects radiate heat at a rate based on their temperature.  Out in the open, you will frost up quick just like the ground.  That's because your body is radiating heat to the cold of outer space much more quickly than space radiates back to you.  Since the tree is warmer than space, it will send more infrared radiation back your way to help compensate for your own heat loss.
403258
Igloos inside are warmer than the outside, but this doesn't mean they are above 32ºF.  Since there is no wind inside, heat from the bodies is kept longer (there is little convection) and this creates a samll micro atmosphere inside the igloo. If the air inside goes above 32º, a small layer of ice from the walls can melt, this reduces the temperature close to the walls and again a layer of ice is formed giving back a bit of the internal heat lost during melting.
922061
An insulator is a material containing no electrical charges. When a voltage is sent across an insulator, no charges flow, so there is no electrical voltage\n\nGenerally,all non metals materials are good insulators.Such as plastic,glass,rubber(frying pot handle)
970609
Hi. Usually to minimize pressure variations in a home's water system. Fire extinguishers, aerosol cans, Coleman stoves, etc. all use them to store potential energy.
370121
an air conditioner helps to maintain the room at  ambient conditions suitable for human comfort by monitoring the parameters like humidity,temperature,dust etc where as a refrigerator keeps the temperature within the system lower than that of the surroundings by using 2nd law of thermodynamics.
8084
I recommend the following website for insulation choices.
674634
Heat is transferred by conduction, convection and radiation. In medium-temperature applications radiation would only be a small part of the total, and an opaque material will prevent radiative escape of heat in any case. Conduction and convection are minimized by the structure of a typical insulator in addition to the material properties mentioned in the first answer. Styrofoam, for instance, consists of very thin partitions of styrene plastic which enclose gas-filled bubbles. This means each convection cell or mixing space is small and essentially a small proportion of the total insulation thickness, so you don't have the coldest internal gas mixing with the hottest gas. Conduction is low because gas conducts heat more slowly than a solid. The conduction path through the solid styrene is convoluted and of small thickness, both of which minimize conduction. In houses, fiberglass insulation uses similar principles except that the air spaces are connected. This means a larger convection cell potentially exists, but it is baffled by all the glass strands, so circulation and mixing are much slower and smaller-scale.
7352
Because ice builds up on the power lines and breaks them, causing a loss of power to the people serviced by that line. Or tree branches/whole trees fall on a power line due to the weight of the ice, or a car slides on the road into a hydro pole.. Anyways, reasons like that.
14382
Many of the items and services offered do result in lower operating costs, such as insulation, thermal pane windows, caulking, weatherstriping. There are fuel savings from modifications to your automobile and driving habits.\nSome items are not true energy savers, such as expensive flourecent light bulbs that replace the incandesant bulbs in regular lamps. They will reduce your electric bill. However, if you compare the price of the bulbs and the life of the bulbs, you will find the financial savings to be about a wash. On a more global scale the energy to produce these bulbs and the raw material is significantly higher.