Knowing the recommended attic insulation R value for the area in which you live could well save you a considerable sum of money and make you a more eco-friendly home owner. If you don’t already know - an R-value is simply a measure of the resistance of a material to allow heat to flow through it; and the higher the R value the less heat the material allows to flow through it, hence the better the material is as an insulator.

Insulating Materials and R Values

Any material that is recommended for use as an insulator will have an R value assigned to it, usually on a ‘per inch’ of thickness basis. Furthermore, depending on where you live, you will also be able to find out from your local energy conservation office, or building regulations office, the recommended R values you should use to make sure your building conforms to a minimum standard of heat insulation.

For example, someone living in Texas would be recommended to have a minimum attic insulation R value of 38, whereas someone living in a colder climate, such as Montana, should have at least an attic insulation R value of 49. This ultimately means that if two people, one in Texas and one in Montana, used the same insulating materials to insulate an attic; the person in Montana would need to use a thicker covering than the one in Texas.

Effective Attic Insulation

Insulating your attic is one thing, making sure your attic is effectively insulated is another. There are still some people who think that simply stuffing old fabrics or newspapers and cardboard into spaces needing insulating will do. Apart from being a highly dangerous fire risk - it simply won’t do. You do need to spend some money on one of the recommended attic insulating products; it really is one of those times when you need to “speculate to accumulate”.

You might also want to think about whether to fit the minimum depth of attic insulation recommended or go that extra mile and fit the a higher specification of insulation. This is especially important if you live in a colder area of the USA.

Living in a warm southern region just adding four inches of attic insulation might be sufficient, but in the coldest parts of the USA aim for an attic insulation value of 60 - which could mean as much as 18 inches of insulation.

Why Spend Money on Insulation?

Regardless of the fuel that you use to heat your home, every year a typical home in the USA produces around 10 tons of Carbon Dioxide and spends hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on that fuel. If your home, and your attic in particular, isn’t insulated - a lot of that heat; and therefore money, is simply escaping to the outside rather than heating the inside.

By insulating an attic you could save up to 33% of that heat from being lost; and that means potentially saving 33% on your fuel bills - and a big reduction in the amount of Carbon Dioxide you release into the atmosphere. Or, put another way, the effective insulation of an attic can pay for itself within three years and make you a more eco-friendly home owner.

Whether you use loose fibers, granules or batts to insulate your attic is less important than making sure it is fully insulated. That means insulating down any cavity walls as well as between the joists and rafters, if they’re exposed. If you’re then fitting sheetrock to the rafters don’t forget to add a vapor membrane first.

See Also:
Thatch Roofing Material
Attic Barrier Foil
Rigid Insulation