Most of us avoid the attic in the summer for a good reason: it’s the hottest room in the house. Your attic’s vulnerability to heat makes it tough to control the temperature of your home. During the winter, heat often escapes from your attic more than any other part of your home.

Without proper insulation in the attic, it’s almost impossible to control your home’s energy costs consultants, and insulation installers know the best type of insulation that will help reduce your home’s environmental footprint and your utility bills.

• Improve energy efficiency
• Reduce heat loss through the attic
• Add resale value to your home
• Lower your utility bill
• Reduce wear and tear on your home’s HVAC system

We can all reduce energy usage and improve the environment. Your attic typically provides the greatest opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Proper insulation at the recommended R-Value* for your region can help reduce heat loss through your attic. R-Value is the capacity of a material to resist heat flow. The higher the R-Value, the greater the insulating power. Recommended R-Values vary by location.

 insulation ATTICA GREEN SOLUTION experts will help ensure your home meets these recommendations.

Blow-in or Batt insulation is typically installed in an attic. Blow-in insulation is usually less expensive to install than batt insulation, and provides better coverage when installed properly.

To find out if you have enough attic insulation, measure the thickness of the insulation. If it is less than R-30  you could probably benefit by adding more. Before insulating, seal any air leaks and make roof and other necessary repairs. If it is located in a conditioned part of the house, also remember to insulate and air seal your attic access.

Insulate and air seal any knee walls -- vertical walls with attic space directly behind them -- in your home as well. In addition, if you're building a new home or remodeling, make sure any attic decking that provides additional storage space or a platform for a heating and/or cooling unit or hot water tank is raised above the ceiling joists to leave room for adequate insulation. If the air distribution system is not within the conditioned space but within the attic, insulating the rafters will enclose the distribution system. Finally, if you live in a hot or warm climate, consider installing a radiant barrier in your attic to reduce summer heat gain.

Insulating Floors Above Unheated Garages

When insulating floors above unconditioned garages, first we seal all possible sources of air leakage. This strategy has the added benefit of minimizing the danger of contaminants (from car exhaust, paint, solvents, gardening supplies, etc.) in the garage migrating into the conditioned space. 

Foundation Insulation

In addition to reducing heating costs, a properly insulated foundation will keep below-grade rooms more comfortable and prevent moisture problems, insect infestation, and radon infiltration. In new construction, consider construction techniques that provide both foundation structure and insulation, such as insulating concrete forms and insulating concrete blocks.

Basement Insulation

A properly insulated basement can save you money on heating and provide a dry, comfortable living space. In most cases, a basement with insulation installed on its exterior walls should be considered a conditioned space. Even in a house with an unconditioned basement, the basement is more connected to other living spaces than to the outside, which makes basement wall insulation preferable to ceiling insulation.

Crawlspace Insulation

How you insulate a crawlspace depends on whether it's ventilated or unventilated. Most building codes require vents to aid in removing moisture from the crawlspace. However, many building professionals now recognize that building an unventilated crawlspace (or closing vents after the crawlspace dries out following construction) is the best option in homes using proper moisture control and exterior drainage techniques.

If you have or will have an unventilated crawlspace, the best approach is to seal and insulate the foundation walls rather than the floor between the crawlspace and the house. This strategy has the advantage of keeping piping and duct work within the conditioned volume of the house so these building components don't require insulation for energy efficiency or protection against freezing. 

For optimal energy efficiency, your home should be properly insulated from the roof down to its foundation. In addition to insulation, consider moisture and air leakage control in each area of your house. 

Our team at ATTICA GREEN SOLUTIONS looks for the areas around pipes, holes (for external wiring and cables), ducts, and outlets where these tiny leaks most commonly occur. After our experts apply sealants, we hope you’ll see lower utility bills and more comfortable temperatures in your home throughout the year.

Fiberglass Insulation is our most popular insulating material. Our team can install it virtually anywhere in your home for both thermal and acoustical insulation. It is available in various forms including blanket (batt or rolled) or Blow-in. We also offer a variety of facings, including:

• Batts Kraft – Manufactured with a paper facing one side of the insulation that acts as a vapor barrier and has paper tabs that are used to keep the insulation in place
• Batts Unfaced – Fiberglass Insulation only without any facing and is generally used wherever a vapor barrier is not necessary
• Blow-in fiberglass – Fiberglass is made of natural ingredients like sand and recycled glass products, which are spun to create small strands of fiberglass. It’s a great choice for noise reduction. Blown fiberglass is installed with a special blowing device.

Benefits of Fiberglass Insulation

• Helps reduce heating and cooling costs
• Helps reduce noise transfer
• Has flexible material options for all areas in your home
• Helps your home maintain a comfortable temperature year round

Forms of Fiberglass Insulation

o   Batt Insulation is typically used in large areas free from obstruction. It is precut to fit into standard-sized cavities of a frame construction. These “blankets” of insulation are fitted between standard studs, joists, and beams in large exposed areas such as ceilings, floors, and unfinished walls.

o   Loose-fill Insulation is ideal for adding R-Value to existing finished areas, irregularly shaped areas, and around obstructions. Because the small, fluffy articles of fiberglass conform to the shape of the cavity, loose-fill is often used in the attic and installed using an insulation-blowing machine.

If you are unsure about which form of fiberglass insulation will best meet your needs, our experienced insulation experts are happy to help!

Batts and Roll Insulation

Blanket insulation -- the most common and widely available type of insulation -- comes in the form of batts or rolls. It consists of flexible fibers, most commonly fiberglass. You also can find batts and rolls made from mineral (rock and slag) wool, plastic fibers, and natural fibers, such as cotton and sheep's wool. Learn more about these insulation materials.

Batts and rolls are available in widths suited to standard spacing of wall studs, attic trusses or rafters, and floor joists: 2 inch x 4 inch walls can hold R-13 or R-15 batts; 2 inch x 6 inch walls can use R-19 or R-21 products. Continuous rolls can be hand-cut and trimmed to fit. They are available with or without facings. Manufacturers often attach a facing (such as kraft paper, foil-kraft paper, or vinyl) to act as a vapor barrier and/or air barrier. Batts with a special flame-resistant facing are available in various widths for basement walls and other places where the insulation will be left exposed. A facing also helps facilitate fastening during installation. However, unfaced batts are a better choice when adding insulation over existing insulation.

Standard fiberglass blankets and batts have a thermal resistance or R-value between R-2.9 and R-3.8 per inch of thickness. High-performance (medium-density and high-density) fiberglass blankets and batts have R-values between R-3.7 and R-4.3 per inch of thickness.

Blown-In Insulation

Blow-in insulation consists of small particles of fiber, foam, or other materials. These small particles form an insulation material that can conform to any space without disturbing structures or finishes. This ability to conform makes loose-fill insulation well suited for retrofits and locations where it would be difficult to install other types of insulation.

Recommended Specifications by Loose-Fill Insulation Material

Some less common Blow-in materials include polystyrene beads and vermiculite and perlite. Blow-In insulation can be installed in either enclosed cavities such as walls, or unenclosed spaces such as attics. typically blown in by experienced installers skilled at achieving the correct density and R-values. Polystyrene beads, vermiculite, and perlite are typically poured.