If you find yourself wondering “what should I know about attic insulation, Louisiana Roof Crafters is here to give you all the answers. For comfortability, you need to properly insulate the attic of your roof. This way, the cost of ventilating as well as heat will be reduced, and you will save money. You don’t have to use that many air conditioners. Here are the three things about attic insulation that you should know before your next roof project.
Benefits of Insulation
During winters, insulated walls keep the cold out, while the role is reversed in summer when you need cool air inside the house. Attic insulation plays the same role. It is a one-time investment, but it is very much needed. If you have the right knowledge about attic insulation and hire a professional company, you will be able to enjoy the benefits.
A properly insulated attic is better compared to insulated walls as it keeps good air inside the house during cold months. Winter is very bad for the health of your house, and insulation can keep it heated with the help of humidified air. Without proper insulation of the attic, you will lose a lot of heat through the roof and must use more energy for heating. During summers, hot air gets inside your house from the outside, and you must reduce this heat with air conditioning.
With insulation, this transfer of hot air into the house is reduced. The quality of the air inside the house is also improved, and it gives you a sense of comfortability. You may think that just shutting down the front door of your house is enough to keep the hot air inside during winter, but you must work on the insulation of the attic for better results. A properly insulated attic keeps the cool air in during the summer and the hot air in during the winter.
If the temperature of the house is going up and down as well as the humidity is out of range, your HVAC system will have to work the extra mile leading to high utility bills. You will also have to maintain the machinery and upgrade it from time to time. On the other, attic insulation is a one-time project. Although it can be expensive, it has benefits in the long run.
How much should you spend?
As per guidelines of the Federal Energy Star, you need R60 for proper attic insulation. For those who had insulated the attic in the past, R38 to R49 is enough to prevent the transfer of heat. There is a point in attic insulation when you should stop because adding more isn’t better. Insulation is very costly, and you don’t have to spend blindly on it. Before choosing the insulation, check your energy usage and choose insulation where you will get a good return on your investment in terms of energy saving.
The period of this recovery of the investment doesn’t matter for as long as you will get it back. The question of that is whether more insulation better troubles the mind of many homeowners. As a simple test, check whether the attic joists or not. If it is joists, you need to get the attic insulated as soon as possible.
During self-inspection of the attic, if you see fiberglass insulation and fluffy insulation between joists, it means that the attic is insulated enough, and there is no need to spend more money on it. Here is a checklist to determine whether you need to insulate your attic or not.
- Wet
- Old
- Thin
- Degraded
If the attic is already insulated, but the materials aren’t enough, you need to go with a different approach, as unwisely using products will make things difficult for you.
Costs of Attic Insulation
The R-value of insulation material is its ability to block the transfer of heat. It is also called thermal resistance. When choosing insulation, go for products with high R-value as they offer better insulation.
If you follow the official guidelines of the Federal Energy Star and use the insulate with the recommended R-value, you can save money by reducing your energy bills. Good insulation can be a combination of batts as well as blown-in insulation. If you can’t decide between fiberglass and blown-in insulation, here are some benefits of blown-in insulation.
- Can reach all corners of the attic
- Can reach the desired level
- Can be piled as high as needed without worrying about settling
- Features better noise dampening to keep your house peaceful and reduce outside noise
- Prevents mold, water infiltration, and mildew
Call Louisiana Roof Crafters at 985-238-4575 for more information. We service areas in Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, Hammond, Covington, Mandeville, Slidell, and New Orleans, LA.
