Blown-in Insulation - Is it the Best Attic Insulation?

Attic insulation is vital to ensure high energy efficiency in your home and reduces your energy bills. If you have plans to add insulation in your home, you have several choices. Different types of attic insulation involve different procedures and will not offer the same results. Therefore, it is advisable to take time to identify the best insulation method that will guarantee value for your hard-earned money.

The most common types of attic insulation are blown-in insulation and batt insulation. Your choice of insulation will cost or save you a substantial amount of your time, money, and energy. One of the main reasons why blown-in insulation is better than batt insulation is that the latter is not ideal for installation in non-standard spaces. You will need to cut the batts into smaller pieces, and this can be challenging if the area is tight. If the pieces are too small, there will be energy loss. You can avoid such incidences and losses by choosing blown-in insulation for your home. The following are some of the main benefits of blown-in insulation:

Blown-in Attic Insulation Energy Efficiency

The technique is more airtight as compared to the standard types of insulation such as eliminating air leaks through tiny cracks that may be present in your home. When you use blown-in insulation, you will not need to worry about energy loss as the materials used can fit into such cracks and small spaces easily. Installation of batt insulation in areas that have unique shapes can be a challenging task and leave gaps. However, the materials used in blown-in insulation are designed to fit in all spaces, including around pipes and beams. Therefore, blown-in insulation is more energy efficient as it can be used to seal such spaces thoroughly. Also, it has strong resistance against moisture, and that helps to prevent the formation of mold and odor.

Return on Investment

The overall cost of installing blown-in insulation may be higher than some of the other common methods. However, homeowners will experience a significant reduction in their energy bills. The extra money spent on the installation will be recovered within a few years. Therefore, homeowners find it cheaper in the long run. The process of installing blown-in insulation is easy and only takes a short time. Nowadays, the installation does not require kneeling for hours. Insulation installation involves blowing out the insulation materials in the desired spaces. Usually, two installers for the project will only need a few hours to complete. On the other hand, batts insulation needs more time and hence more labor expensive.

Lowering the Risk of Fires

The materials used in blown-in insulation are airtight, and this leads to a significant reduction in fire risks. The fire resistance can be attributed to the tight sealing in the insulation, which reduces airflow through the spaces. When you install batt insulation in your home, there will be gaps that occur due to objects such as fans, electric boxes, and frames. As a result, the risk of fire is higher as air can flow between the spaces.

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Jay has worked in the home insulation industry since 2005. He started Homeland Energy Resource Center, Inc. in 2013. Jay formed the company in response to strict new rules set forth by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).

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HOMELAND ENERGY RESOURCE CENTER, INC. 3901 Arlington Highlands Boulevard, Suite 200 Arlington, TX 76018 972-841-1161 https://www.homelandenergytx.com/

How Much Attic Insulation is Enough?

Attic insulation keeps your home at a comfortable temperature, which reduces the amount of energy you’ll have to spend on heating and cooling. So, if you’ve recently noticed higher utility bills, fluctuating temperatures or drafts, your attic, and wall insulation may be insufficient. We always advise having a home energy loss audit completed to determine exactly where your home is losing energy so you don’t invest in energy upgrades that are not needed.

Why is attic insulation important?

Proper Insulation Saves You Money – If the heat in your home escapes through the attic, you’re spending more than you ought to on your utility bill expense. If your home isn’t properly warmed or cooled due to poorly insulated and ventilated attic, it will force you to increase the heat or cooling, especially during the height of the hot and cold seasons. This increases your electric bill, and you won’t receive the air temperature you’d want.

Less HVAC Escape – An attic with the correct insulation R value adds resistance to cold and hot air trying to escape your home. Inadequate insulation allows more cold and hot air to escape the living area of your home, it also makes it difficult to maintain the desired temperature because interior air constantly escapes through the attic.

Given that heat can escape from anywhere, you can easily lose heat through the crawl space cracks or gaps when your home isn’t properly insulated.

How much home insulation is enough?

Many homeowners often question whether they’ve got enough insulation in their homes. Take note that how much insulation you need is dictated by different variables including how well your home is ventilated and your local climate.

Well-ventilated homes that allow for great air movement need less insulation than those that are poorly ventilated. To improve the energy efficiency of your home, you should consider sealing cracks, filling in gaps in the insulation, and check for air movement around doors and windows. These are areas that allow warm or cold air to leak in your home. You will also benefit if you install a radiant barrier in the attic to deflect the summer heat, and a solar attic ventilation fan to increase air circulation.

Before the hot summer months get the best of you, consider checking your attic insulation. If you’ve got less than ten inches there’s room for more.

What necessitates attic insulation?

If you’re living in an older home, chances are high it lacks sufficient insulation, the rooms of the house will be hot in the summer and cold in the winter. This is a clear sign you may not have enough or the right type of insulation in your home.

Heat build-up in the attic during the summer – The summer heat can become unbearable without the correct attic ventilation. Once you have insulation on the attic floor you can easily prevent heat from coming to the main part of the house which you’re trying to cool by keeping the air conditioning running or having the windows open to increase air movement.

Heat loss through the attic in winter months – Your attic will be cold in winter when the insulation you’ve got on the attic floor doesn’t allow heat to penetrate through the ceiling and escape through the attic space. This means that you’ll keep your utility bills within your budget as you’re not losing heat that’s wasted through the attic.

Final Thoughts

A well-insulated and ventilated attic ensures that you get the most value for your money. It ensures that whatever temperature is on your thermostat is exactly what’s in your home. Instead of hot or cold air escaping through the attic, it’ll be effectively distributed in your home. It is recommended you speak with a professional insulation company to determine if your home has adequate insulation.

Source: https://www.homelandenergytx.com/news/how-important-is-attic-insulation-in-texas/

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Jay has worked in the home insulation industry since 2005. He started Homeland Energy Resource Center, Inc. in 2013. Jay formed the company in response to strict new rules set forth by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).

Homeland Energy Resource Center was created to save customers on expensive energy bills and to make residential homes more energy-efficient. Our attic insulation significantly reduces monthly utility bills. We’ve been in business since 2013, our team has worked in the industry since 2005. We have the materials, skills, and knowledge to make your home more energy-efficient.