How Important is Attic Insulation?
Attic insulation is more important than the insulation in any other part of your home. This is because heat rises at all times of the year. At Sunshine Contracting we know the value of making sure you have adequate insulation in your attic and we recommend its use to our customers who are doing VA home improvement. The insulation you place in your attic can contribute greatly to making your home as energy efficient as possible.
Purpose of attic insulation
Since heat rises you will lose the majority of heat from your home through the attic if you do not have it properly insulated. This lack of insulation in older two-story homes is the main reason that the upstairs portion of the house is cold in winter and stifling hot in summer. In order to better understand the need for insulating the attic in VA home improvement you should be aware of the properties of heat that necessitate this.
- Heat in the attic in winter. Your attic should be cold in winter because the insulation that you have on the floor prevents the heat from penetrating through the ceiling. This will help you maintain utility bills within your budget because you are not losing any heat that is really wasted in the attic.
- Heat in the attic in summer. When you insulate the attic you do not insulate the roof. Therefore the heat from the sun penetrates the roof during the summer and it can become unbearably hot. The insulation on the floor prevents this heat from coming down into the main part of the house that you are trying to cool by having the windows open or the air-conditioning running.
R-Value of attic insulation
When customers ask us about how much insulation they need to have in the attic, they can be sure of receiving an honest answer from Sunshine Contracting. There should be no less than 12 inches of insulation in this highest part of your house. The higher the R-value rating on the insulation the better it will be because this means that it has a higher thermal value.
Other factors to consider for insulating the attic
Energy efficiency is not the only factor to think about when attic insulation is part of your VA home improvement. The attic is usually a place where homeowners store things that they only use at certain times of the year, such as Christmas decorations, or articles they want to save, such as children’s toys. If the attic is not at the right temperature at all times of the year you risk damage occurring to these objects that could make them unusable.
You do have to consider the climate when choosing insulation and because we live in Virginia, Sunshine Contracting will be able to give you the best advice.