Well-insulated homes offer peace and quiet While longing for peace and quiet in their homes, Americans have surrounded themselves with decibel-raising high-tech gadgetry including big screen TVs, computer games, CD players and stereo systems. Coupled with a love of home offices, media rooms and spacious "great rooms," these noise-laden environments can adversely affect sleep, stress levels and quality of life. But, homes can easily be a haven of peace and quiet with just a little insulation. In most homes, walls between rooms are only marginally effective at blocking noise. Made of drywall and lumber, these interior or partition walls have poor sound transmission class (STC) ratings. An STC rating is a number used to characterize the sound insulating value of a wall, floor or ceiling - the higher the STC rating, the less sound will be transmitted between rooms. Home builders typically take steps to increase the STC rating for rooms that tend to be the noisiest, such as kitchens and bathrooms, but it may not be enough. There are a number of simple measures that can be taken to raise the STC rating in any home. By far the easiest and most economical method for controlling noise is to install insulation in the wall cavity. Adding insulation beneath drywall in a typical wall configuration can increase sound control. Contact a professional insulation contractor about installing loose-fill fiberglass insulation. Loose-fill fiberglass can be blown into walls in an afternoon. If you are doing any renovations on your home where drywall is removed or a new wall constructed, fiberglass batts or rolls can be put in place by any do-it-yourselfer. If a new wall is being constructed, homeowners can also build what is called a resilient channel between the drywall and the studs or joists. Properly installed resilient channels will break the noise vibration path, providing a dramatic reduction in sound transmission. For a free brochure on noise control, or to find out the many benefits of fiberglass and mineral wool insulations, visit www.SimplyInsulate.com or send a message to email@Simply Insulate.com. Don't let noise adversely affect the quality of your life. With a little time spent installing acoustic insulation in the walls, homeowners can ensure peace and quiet all year long.