Attic Insulation Installs

Difficulty of Project:    Average Job Duration: 1/2 Day    Energy Savings: 30%

If you’ve made it to this page you probably have alot of questions. Do I need attic insulation? If so, how much do I need? What is the quality of my current insulation? Can I have too much insulation? The list goes on and on. Well we’re going to break it down for you in simple easy to understand terms, then you can make your decision. The most important factor when determining the whats, whens, wheres, and whys of insulation, is determining your R-Value.

Did you know

According to a recent study by the NAIMA (North American Insulation Manufacturers Association around 90% of US households are under insulated?

R-Value Chart

R-Value is the most important measure of insulation performance. Think of it like a jacket, a rain jacket would have a relatively low R-Value while a winter jacket filled with goose feathers will have a higher R-Value. The more extreme temperatures you are fighting (hot or cold) the more important it becomes to have more R-Value. Take a look at the chart below to compare the R-Value of common building materials. See the difference when we start to get into those different types of insulation? Using this chart, along with a tape measure can tell you what your current R-value is in your attic. So for example, the average inch of blown fiberglass (most common attic insulation) is rated at about R-3. If you have 10 inches, all you need to do is multiply by 10, and your answer is R-30. Now the only question is- is R-30 enough? Well that’s where this handy little chart comes in.

  Chances are, most of your reading this will live in zone 2. And if your house was built between 1970 and 2012, you probably have anywhere from 6″ (about R-18) to 10″ (about R-30″). If that is the case, you can definitely benefit from added insulation. Most contractors today will put roughly 14-15″ so you have a coverage of R-38, but even that is the minimum around the southeast. So keep this in mind, even if you have tons of insulation in your attic, more can still help.

Other Reasons For Adding Insulation

Coverage: Inspect your current insulation. Can you find any voids? Any low spots, or gaps in the insulation? This can be especially common for batt insulation, where the pieces don’t fully meet or fill the cavity. Wet or Animal Infested Insulation: If you have had a leak, or pests have soiled/urinated on the insulation, the R-Value has been degraded. On top of that, the odors, and possible bacteria/and diseases can seep through to the inside of your house. Before you add insulation you need to take some precautionary steps first, such as animal removal, insulation removal, seal spots where animals entered, and antibacterial treatment. We can typically complete this work in 1-2 days, including adding new insulation back. Knee Walls: If you have any raised ceilings in your house, or varying levels of ceiling height, this can drastically effect your protection from the heat. If you think about it, these walls raise into the highest (and hottest) points of your attic, and most of the time they are bare, or have batt insulation that is falling off, or just doing no good. Fixing this can have a dramatic effect on the total R-Value of your attic. Decking: If you have decking (plywood laid down for storage) that was installed after the house was built then most likely the insulation that was there, was raked away to smoothly lay the boards down. We can fix this problem by densely pumping insulation under the decking without having to move a board. Armed with all this information, you can now decide for yourself whether or not your attic is insulated to your liking. If it’s not give us a call! Or just give us a call if you have any questions or concerns you want to bounce off ou heads and we’ll be glad to help.

Getting New Insulation Installed

We can typically have a new layer of insulation blown in your home in roughly a half day. Adding insulation is by far the quickest, easiest, and most noticeable way to decrease your energy bills on existing homes.