Do I Need More Attic Insulation

Unless your roofing system has insulation on the roofing deck and is designed without ventilation your furnace should not be heating your attic.

Do i need more attic insulation.

You can do it yourself for about 500. More insulation installation tricks and tips. Poor insulation is usually the culprit although if you enter the attic on sunny winter day your attic space can be warmed by the sun more than your furnace. Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation.

Do i have enough. The table below shows what levels of insulation are cost effective for different climates and locations in the home. How much does attic insulation cost. If you notice one or more of these occurring you probably need to take action.

In general an attic s r value should be between r 30 and r 49. The pros charge 1 500 to 2 000 to do a 1 200 sq ft. There are four especially common signs of problems with attic insulation. The higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation.

Blowing attic insulation isn t hard but it s dusty sweaty work. Your attic should have a certain amount of insulation in it and the recommended level of insulation for your attic is dependent on where you live. Your home s r value score will guide you toward the type of insulation you need. If you need to add insulation in your attic save big by blowing in cellulose insulation yourself.

But it settles more than those materials so you ve got to put in a thicker layer to get the protection you need. For diy attic insulation you ve got two choices. First things first you need to go up into your attic inspect the condition of the insulation and calculate the current level of insulation. Inspecting your attic insulation.

Blown in insulation overview. In particularly cold climates you might go up to r 60. Common signs of problems with insulation. R value is a measure of insulation s ability to resist heat traveling through it.

Insulation level are specified by r value. How do i know if i have enough insulation in my attic. A quick way to see if you need more insulation is to look across your attic floor. Dallas texas falls in climate zone three where attics are recommended to have an r value between 38 49 this means a minimum of 12 of insulation.

No matter what kind of insulation you currently have in your attic one quick way to determine if you need more is to look across the span of your attic. The attic is the easiest place to add insulation to improve your comfort and the energy efficiency of your home.