Attic Insulation Effectiveness

Attic ventilation fans could be effective if your home has.

Attic insulation effectiveness.

An attic fan can be used temporarily during the summer to decrease the electric bill but it won t be the best option in the long run. By reducing the amount of radiant heat reaching the insulation in your attic the insulation remains cooler and is able to keep your home more comfortable. A radiant barrier is designed to increase the effectiveness of your thermal envelope. The higher the r value the more effective an insulating material is.

An attic floor that is thoroughly air sealed. When it is most effective attic ventilation fans work best if the attic floor is thoroughly sealed hvac equipment is well insulated and sealed and attic insulation is less than r 19. Commonly used and inexpensive but fibers can irritate lungs and skin though less so than in years past thanks to better manufacturing and it s less effective at blocking airflow than other. Hvac equipment in the attic that is well insulated and sealed.

R value is a measure of insulation s ability to resist heat traveling through it. The bottom line is that although you can certainly put r 40 insulation under your slab or r 80 insulation in your walls it may not be the smartest thing to do. Handy homeowners can install blown in insulation in the attic. Insulation level are specified by r value.

To be effective the reflective surface must face an air space. Your home s r value score will guide you toward the type of insulation you need. The effectiveness of an insulation material s resistance to heat flow also depends on how and where the insulation is installed. In general an attic s r value should be.

The higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation. If installed on top of attic floor insulation the foil will be susceptible to dust accumulation and may trap moisture in fiber insulation so it is strongly recommended that you not apply radiant barriers directly on top of the attic floor insulation. You ve got to do the calculations to find where your optimum is. Recycled glass or sand that s melted and spun into fibers.

Because of this compression loose fill insulation r value does not change proportionately with thickness. Bountiful eave soffit ventilation space. That doesn t mean all those higher levels of insulation are cost effective though. It is meant to supplement insulation not replace it.

To determine how much insulation you need for your climate consult a local insulation contractor. The table below shows what levels of insulation are cost effective for different climates and locations in the home.