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Attic Insulation Boise, ID
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Attic insulation is the most recommended and sometimes the most effective type of insulation for homeowners. Attic insulation does not only protect your home from the harshest of weather conditions but it does an energy-saving brilliance.
According to the U.S. Department of energy heating and cooling the home accounts for 50% - 70% of energy costs and insulating your attic can save you up to 10% - 50% of your electricity bills. However, it’s estimated that 90% of homes in the united states are under-insulated. This means tons of people are losing out and you don’t want to be among them. So, if you ever feel that your home is leaking money out of nowhere – you know where to check. While this seems to be the problem always the challenge for most homeowners is oftentimes finding their insulation needs. Yes, different houses located in areas with different weather conditions require a different type and amount of insulation. Having the right insulation in place is critical but what is more important than that is doing it the right way! This guide is designed to help you sort out your insulation needs but more importantly how to do it the right way. |
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Upgrade Your Attic Insulation
Finding out about your insulation needs and going about it the right way are almost the same things. Finding out what you need is a big part of insulating your home the right way. Attic insulation can be a very tricky task because there’re more than enough short directions that can be easily be forgotten.
One of those short directions is making sure to check your recommended location attic insulation based on the R-value and your climate condition. The main step in understanding what insulation your home needs is inspecting your attic to know what insulation is currently needed.
If the attic insulation is already installed and you are not confident with it then you need to measure the amount that is present to find out what is needed. Although measuring is key sometimes what you need is to check areas that are under-insulated.
Old insulation might just be your only problem but you should know that the older your insulation gets the less effective it becomes. Installing 6 inches of fiberglass bath may not account for the same six inches in the future.
If the attic insulation is already installed and you are not confident with it then you need to measure the amount that is present to find out what is needed. Although measuring is key sometimes what you need is to check areas that are under-insulated.
Old insulation might just be your only problem but you should know that the older your insulation gets the less effective it becomes. Installing 6 inches of fiberglass bath may not account for the same six inches in the future.
Step 1: Determine your Current R-Value
Your recommended R-value is what will tell whether your insulation is sufficient or not. The R-value is the resistance of heat moving through an insulation material, the higher the greater.
Check the recommended attic insulation R-values for different climate zones.
After measuring your current insulation thickness multiply that number by the R-value above according to the type of insulation material you have to give you your current attic insulation R-value rating.
If you still have your insulation material’s product information from the manufacturer use it for the R-value.
- Fiberglass bath accounts for an R-value of 2.9 – 3.8 per 3.2 inches.
- A highly dense version of bath insulation accounts for 3.7 – 4.3 R-value per 3.8 inches.
- Loose-fill Cellulose accounts for 3.4 – 3.7 R-value per 3.5 inches.
- Spray polyurethane foam accounts for 5.6 – 6.3 R-value per 5.9 inches.(United States Department of Energy, Attic Insulation).
After measuring your current insulation thickness multiply that number by the R-value above according to the type of insulation material you have to give you your current attic insulation R-value rating.
If you still have your insulation material’s product information from the manufacturer use it for the R-value.
Step 2: Determine how much Insulation You need
The next thing to do after finding your current insulation rating and what is recommended it becomes obvious what more you need to do. Subtract your region's recommended R-value for attic insulation from the R-value of your home that you just calculated.
This will give you the extra amount of R-value that you need to add.
Finding your needed R-value gets you the closest that you can get but what finally transforms your findings into action is to know the amount of material you will need to add that will equal your recommended R-value.
To get this number divide your needed R-value with the R-value of your insulating material per inch. This will give you the required thickness of insulation you need to install and you’re done finding your attic insulation needs.
Note: make sure to use the manufacturer's product information for the R-value per inch when calculating the amount, you need.
If you should ever need help with your attic insulation in any way call us today at Boise Spray Foam Insulation and we will be at your do step to do the job for you.
Finding your needed R-value gets you the closest that you can get but what finally transforms your findings into action is to know the amount of material you will need to add that will equal your recommended R-value.
To get this number divide your needed R-value with the R-value of your insulating material per inch. This will give you the required thickness of insulation you need to install and you’re done finding your attic insulation needs.
Note: make sure to use the manufacturer's product information for the R-value per inch when calculating the amount, you need.
If you should ever need help with your attic insulation in any way call us today at Boise Spray Foam Insulation and we will be at your do step to do the job for you.