Why is attic insulation important and how much should I use?
Opting for attic insulation is one significant way to lowering your energy charges and endorsing a green environment in your home and otherwise. Attic insulation procedure is also simpler when counted amongst other methods of home insulation and it’s also a great first step when beginning weatherizing alterations for an upcoming change in season. Attic insulation can aid in the prevention of air leaving the house and also acts as a barrier for the air present outside the house, not allowing it to enter.
Through close study Owens Corning has determined, the cooling and heating costs attribute to about 50-80% of the energy used daily in a household or public environment. This eventually concludes that if the house is losing the hot or cold air by any means, a huge amount of energy will simply go to waste. One must take measures for the prevention of this energy loss since energy should be conserved wherever possible; this leads to lower energy costs and has the added benefit of promoting a green environment. When attic insulation is installed, it aids towards depressing the daily use of energy which is required to keep you and the house at a contented level. Since any variations in your home’s temperature must be battled against by the house’s air conditioning and heating systems, leaving places where severe fluctuations can take place makes your home defenseless in the face of greater energy usage and costs.
Coming to how attic insulation works, Owens Corning believes in educating you with respect to the process for better understanding. As a natural process, air moves from a warmer place to a colder one. In times of winter, when it’s colder outside, the warm air accumulated inside the house tries to escape and move out to the cooler air; similarly, in the summer time, the warmer air present outside makes its way to the cooler air inside. Thus outlying places in the house, such as attics, garages and basements are all areas which allow this air change to take place. From there, the air begins to make its way into the rest of the home and, for this reason, Owens Corning Insulation aims at countering the effects this air change can have on the comfort of your home. Other than attic insulation, Owens Corning also emphasizes on basement insulation and crawl space insulation, for the same reason that these can lead to the consequence of air escaping or entering.
Basement insulation and crawl space insulation also works in the same way and helps limit the air movement that may take place in the home environment. The stagnant air confined in the insulation material does the job of preventing heat from moving from one area to another one. Insulation is rated in terms of thermal resistance which is known as the R-value, which is an explanation of the extent to which the material is resistant to heat flow. The higher the R-value of the insulation the better able the home insulation is with respect to preventing hot air from escaping and shifting from one area to another. The goal is to provide enhanced levels of Owens Corning Insulation which have high R-values.
There are different types of attic insulation to choose from which acts as a barrier in combating the transfer of hot air. All types have their own pros and cons, to help you decide Owens Corning, Johns Manville, CertainTeed, Roxul etc will provide all of the help you need to decide which is best considering what you are looking for. Below are the different insulations where the benefits of each are weighed against their issues:
The first type is that of batts and rolls; these are basically flexible fiber sheets which are to be placed between the standard spacing present in the wall studs as well as floor joints. These can be cut in order to alter their size and match it with the uneven spaces. This also for any pipes or wires that pass through without any disturbance. These flexible insulation materials are also available with flame-resistant chemicals, which is more suited to areas of home insulation and commercial insulation that will remain exposed.
The second type is blown-in loose fill which is created with the use of loose fibers or fiber pellets which are blown in with the help of specially designed equipment. This is more appropriate when faced with unfinished or incomplete floors, which is often the case with many attics in homes. This form of attic insulation will fill in all the gaps and spaces conveniently resulting in good insulation and giving a more finished plus refined look. Spray Foam insulation is the third kind of attic insulation material. This is a special type of foam which is put on walls with the help of spraying action. A professional from Owens Corning or a general insulation contractor will compete the task of mixing the foam and then the next step involves spraying it into openings with the use of special equipment. This is also suitable for wall insulation other than being useful for insulation of the attics.
Coming to the question of how much attic insulation you really need, Owens Corning suggests that first you check on how much you already have. How good the insulation depends on the R value that it will provide,which ranges from 2.0 to 8.0 per inch of insulation. Typically attics have insulations of about 4-5 inches which denote a value of R 5; this isn't enough by any means. The U.S department of energy recommends for the attics to have R-38 to R-49, or about 12” to 15” of fiberglass or cellulose insulation. One can make use of unfaced insulation when the idea is to add more insulation to the already existing one; the batts or rolls can be laid at right angles to the floor joists. In case of the attic insulation is being used for the first time, faced insulation should be chosen which is placed inside the space existing between the joists.