Once you've decided which type is best for you, examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product. Always check labels for specifics on whatever you buy. Insulation fibers are packaged in bags and blown in place to the desired depth and density using special machinery you can rent from a home center. You can pour the fill in place and spread it manually, but the process is much more labor-intensive and the results won't be nearly as good.
This flexible insulation material is most often packaged in rolls that come in various thicknesses and standard widths, usually 16 inches and 24 inches, to fit between joists or studs in a house's framing. They come with or without a paper or foil facing that acts as a vapor barrier. You add one or more layers to achieve the desired level of insulation. Grab a tape measure and a flashlight to see what kind of insulation you already have in the attic and how deep it is.
Then use the numbers in the chart at right to estimate its R-value. Pull up and dispose of any material that's compressed, water stained, or moldy—it's useless. Owners of houses built before take note: If what you see is lightweight, grainy, loose-looking insulation with shiny flecks, it could be vermiculite from a mine with asbestos deposits.
Get it tested, and if necessary, call in a pro to remove and haul it away safely. The Department of Energy recommends these minimum R-values for unfinished, unconditioned attics. The numbers are based on your house's location and climate zone. Most federal tax credits for weatherizing your house and boosting its energy efficiency expired in But your state's energy office or local utility may offer product rebates, discounts, or other financial incentives for insulating. See a state-by-state directory of such programs here.
Measure your attic's square footage. For loose fill, read labels; each bag lists the required depths for a range of R-values and the number of bags needed to cover 1, square feet at those depths. For batts or rolls, calculate the number based on the width and length of the product you're using. In either case, get an extra bag or roll—you really don't want to run out when you're almost done putting it in. Gaps in the attic or between the lower floors and the attic will let heated or cooled air escape to the great, unconditioned outdoors, making any insulation you add essentially useless.
Find a diagram of common air leaks here. Avoid placing insulation where moisture can accumulate, because once wet, the surface area of the insulation shrinks and stays that way -- like cotton candy.
If your basement walls become damp, you should not use batt insulation; it will not efficiently protect you and, perhaps worse, will become an ideal breeding ground for mold and mildew.
In such cases, try to re-mediate the water problem and turn to foam-based rigid insulation. The attic is where you'll often find poor insulation techniques that cause a cadre of degenerative problems. Here's the rule regarding attic insulation: Ideally, the temperature of the attic should be the temperature of the outside air less wind chills.
What does this mean? Air should be able to circulate up and through your attic. You should lay an appropriate usually R insulation on the attic floor, but avoid tucking it down into the area where the roof rafters meet the top of exterior walls and joist. This area needs to remain open to allow air to flow through the attic. You may think you're stopping up a draft, but that particular draft is necessary; stuffing the area with insulation may cause your rafters and roof sheathing to gather mold and mildew, smell and eventually rot.
If you desire more insulation than you already have, place another layer of batt insulation over an existing one, but avoid tucking it into the rafter-joist-wall transition area blocking the soffit ventilation. As for sizing your heating equipment, the amount of heat you will need to provide will be determined by the amount of heat you lose, so a well-insulated and airtight home saves money in fuel use, and often times in allowing for a reduced size of equipment.
Did you have a preferred heat delivery system in mind, or fuel source? And where are you located? We can help more with a bit more info. You can also learn more about the best home heating systems in our guide pages. When it comes to choosing a building envelope there are many variables to consider: what climate zone you're building in, performance, durability, health, comf…. The effects of our changing climate aren't just coming anymore, they are here.
Building resilient homes helps deal with climate change events, storms, floods, …. Roofs - all homes have them in one form or another, and they're a potential cause of all manner of problems effecting the durability and performance of homes. When building a new home, especially sustainable high-performance eco homes like Passive House or Zero Net Energy in a cold climate, some heat is still necessa…. What is a heat pump? An energy efficient home heating system that can save you some money.
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Fitting extra insulation to an older home when renovating can be a great idea, but when insulating exterior walls from the outside take care to do it right. That Depends Choosing a building envelope - starting with the perfect wall. Resilient Homes; Why we need to build to withstand climate change events.
Why Roofs need to be ventilated and how to ventilate a roof properly. Heat pumps: what they are and how they work. How to build high performance homes with less lumber. Moving to the countryside? Here's how that can work What are the most cost-effective green building strategies in new home construc…. How do you prevent walls from rotting in humid climates?
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Home foundation trends in are encouraging for sustainability as slab on gr…. Guides Walls and Roofs Insulation and soundproofing There will come a point where the cost of insulation in any attic, wall or basement - and the energy required to manufacture and transport it - will outweigh any savings. Want to find out where that point is?
Ecohome July 31, Last updated: Aug. Home Insulation - how much is too much? Rule 1 for the right amount of home insulation Heat always moves from hot areas to cold areas. What is the return on investment for home insulation? How much loose blown cellulose insulation is too much in an attic?
Build right for your climate zone Building codes span entire States and Provinces, and often, certainly with Canadian provinces, they will have vastly differing climate conditions from North to South and even East to West. Is insulating a building to code good enough? Climate zones change the amount of insulation homes need even if code doesn't across larger states and provinces None of us would think there is a single 'ideal' outfit that would protect from sunburn, let sweat evaporate AND protect from frostbite and polar bears, so why would we expect there to be one 'ideal' home design to span such a range?
So, what is the right amount of insulation in a home? How much insulation is too much? Now that you know more about how much insulation is too much in a house , find more pages about sustainable and resilient green building techniques here : What is the best insulation for a home? Attic insulation is usually out-of-sight, so the benefits are often unnoticed by homeowners. A well-insulated attic actually makes a big contribution to a residential home — from saving on energy consumption, to maintaining seasonal comfort, to regulating indoor temperature.
Clearly, a home can be under-insulated, and across Canada there are many millions of homes in this category. But can there be too much insulation in the attic space? Well, in some cases — yes. In general, the more insulation you have, the better. For example, without the proper attic ventilation, an over-insulated space causes moisture to build up, which then compromises insulation performance and even causes mold growth.
Attic ventilation allows warm air to vent, while preventing condensation and ice damming. Typically, the higher the R-Values, the better the thermal performance.
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