How To Increase Attic Insulation

If you re looking to improve your energy use check out these five different ways to make your attic more energy efficient.

How to increase attic insulation. Check the attic walls and floors adjacent to an unheated space like a garage or basement. Homeowners are also seeing their homes average resale value increase by 1 446 after adding insulation to the attic area of the home. Statistics show that 85 percent of a house s heat loss is straight up through the attic space. Affix rigid foam insulation to the attic side of the hatch or door.

For an uninsulated attic it s important to install a vapour barrier on the interior side of your roof before filling it with insulation. The recommended level for most attics is to insulate to r 38 or about 10 to 14 inches depending on insulation type. Chances are there is already some insulation in the attic but if you can see the tops of the ceiling joists or there is only an inch or two of insulation covering the joists you probably don t have enough. Use a zippered insulated tent to keep the enclosure draft free attic tent at 7 attic cover insulator 120.

The structural elements are usually exposed in these areas which makes it easy to see what type of insulation you have and to measure its depth or thickness inches. Despite this it s easy to overlook the benefits of proper attic ventilation radiant barriers and energy efficient insulation. Most insulation is covered by a finish material so the easiest place to start gauging insulation levels in many homes is in the attic which is usually unfinished. Make sure you don t block any ventilation areas.

Extra insulation helps to make your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation. It can cost anywhere from 1 700 to 2 100 or between 1 50 and 3 50 per foot to insulate an attic depending on what insulation material you choose. When installing your batts make sure to fit them tightly end to end as gaps in the insulation can greatly reduce your r value.

Add the right kind of insulation. Insulation levels are specified by r value. R value is a measure of insulation s ability to resist heat flow. Add weatherstripping around the perimeter and a sweep to the door of a walk up attic.

Laying an attic blanket across the joists increases the r value of the insulation in the attic significantly. Blown in insulation is the least expensive option and ideal for older attics. That s a 107 7 return on investment home improvements projects such as siding can cost a homeowner nearly 14 518 to install but adding siding only increases the homes resale value by 11 093. Attic hatch or door.

Over 90 percent of us homes are improperly insulated.