March 16, Now that you know… With effective and clean attic insulation you could see these benefits and more for your home! By Kierra Barraza The U. Department of Energy suggest that you should have your insulation inspected at least once a year. If you have recently had a roof leak or replacement, leaky vapor barriers or unwanted rodents, you should replace your insulation to keep your energy bills low and maintain a comfortable home. Read More These 2 insulation types take two routes to achieve similar goals.
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To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. From types of insulation and materials to target R-values and installation, this guide breaks down what to consider when insulating your attic yourself. There's no getting around it: If your house is in a cold climate, keeping it warm in winter is expensive. The Department of Energy predicts that prices for natural gas and heating oil will rise again this winter compared with last—and that's after a year in which heating-oil prices rose sharply in most parts of the country.
Sure, you can dial down the thermostat and get used to wearing bulky sweaters indoors to cut costs. But if you've got an unfinished attic, giving it proper insulation is one of the simplest ways to keep a lid on your heating bill this season. The Department of Energy estimates that a properly insulated attic can shave 10 to 50 percent off your heating bill.
And it works the opposite way for warm climates; in summer, it helps stabilize your house's indoor temps to keep cooling needs in check. In a perfect world, you'd hire an energy auditor to tell you exactly how much protection you're getting from the few inches of attic insulation you may already have and to pinpoint things like air leaks that you can seal to make sure your insulation will do its job well.
But if you can't afford to shell out a few hundred bucks for this service, never fear: We've rounded up all the most important know-how about attic insulation costs, products, prep work, and installation right here. Keep reading for the details. The main factors that impact the cost are:. Note: If you have to insulate around electrical boxes or cables, then support from an electrician might be needed as part of the process too.
Stop using your attic for storage. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. But if the floor is covered in plywood, you can't stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently—not even in warm climates.
Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old. With the floor gone, you'll have to find a spot elsewhere for stashing those off-season clothes and that holiday decor. For DIY attic insulation, you've got two choices: loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation. Both can be added to uninsulated attics or layered over existing material. Once you've decided which type is best for you, examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product.
Always check labels for specifics on whatever you buy. Insulation fibers are packaged in bags and blown in place to the desired depth and density using special machinery you can rent from a home center. You can pour the fill in place and spread it manually, but the process is much more labor-intensive and the results won't be nearly as good.
This flexible insulation material is most often packaged in rolls that come in various thicknesses and standard widths, usually 16 inches and 24 inches, to fit between joists or studs in a house's framing. They come with or without a paper or foil facing that acts as a vapor barrier. You add one or more layers to achieve the desired level of insulation. Grab a tape measure and a flashlight to see what kind of insulation you already have in the attic and how deep it is.
Then use the numbers in the chart at right to estimate its R-value. Rather, they refer to where the insulation is installed. Cold insulation is installed on the floor of your attic.
If you have cold insulation, your attic will remain cold in winter, as it is exposed to outside temperatures. You should only install cold insulation if you have an unfinished attic and plan on keeping it that way.
Warm insulation is installed on the underside of the roof deck at the top of the attic, just below the roof decking.
When you have warm insulation, the attic space is kept warm in the winter, as the heat from the furnace can reach it. Otherwise, it will be very challenging to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Warm insulation has an impact on shingle performance.
On such a roof, the shingles will be hotter than those with cold insulation. Such heat stresses the shingles and prematurely ages them. In addition, a hot roof deck is more likely to create roof ice dams or allow for condensation and mold growth.
You should always get an expert to install your attic insulation. There are many safety precautions that professionals must take during installation that homeowners may not understand or may simply not have the equipment for.
Plus, common mistakes made by homeowners who attempt to install their attic insulation themselves, such as blocking air vents or using improper installation techniques, can be very costly to repair. Roofs with low pitches present a challenge for insulation installation. Where the attic ceiling touches the floor, around the edges of the attic, there is often not enough room for much insulation.
This is especially true if your roof has a soffit vent with a baffle to keep the vent open. In this case, Natural Resources Canada suggests that there may be as few as 4 inches to add insulation. Therefore, you may need to install higher-quality insulation that can provide a high R-value even when very thin. Rigid foam board is usually a good option.
Batts and rolls may also be an option, and they are easier to install in these cramped spaces than blown-in. Still, an experienced contractor may be able to install those insulation types if they can find one with a sufficient R-value. In order to save money on insulation in attics with low-pitched roofs, you may be able to install a very thin, high-quality insulation around the edges of the attic and any other critical areas and install a different, thicker and more cost-effective insulation in the rest of the attic.
Homes that have cathedral ceilings or no attic space also have less room for insulation than the typical home. This may pose a problem for the longevity of your roof, as these ceilings also typically do not have enough room to allow for proper air flow of the roof.
While builders should design cathedral ceilings with room for insulation and air flow, the space they have left may not be adequate. This is especially true for insulation types that are typically applied thickly, such as batts and rolls.
Further, ceilings have several holes in them for electrical and plumbing fixtures, which makes space a challenge to seal properly. A professional can walk you through a few options that could work in these circumstances, including:. Roof replacements are optimal times to update your attic insulation. If your roof was leaking, your insulation might have been impacted.
Your insulation is especially likely to be water-damaged if your roof decking has developed wood rot , as this means moisture has been present in the roof for some time and has likely intruded on the insulation. Although, some types of insulation, such as closed-cell insulation, are not affected by moisture. You should replace other types of insulation when they get wet as they will not function properly. Also, during a reroofing job, your roofer may need to add new ventilation to your roof to ensure you get the best life span from your shingles.
Although, if the floor of the attic is insulated, a new vent opening can be easily cut into the roof deck without removing or disturbing the insulation. Once you have a flat roof installed, you may need to remove it to add new insulation. Ready to reap the many benefits of proper attic insulation? All rights reserved.
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