Does My Attic Have Enough Insulation?

The best way to lower your monthly heating and cooling costs is to make sure you have enough insulation in your attic. Attic insulation will prevent any warm air from seeping into the attic during the cooler months, while also preventing warm air from entering your home via the attic in the warmer months. The questions is: does your home have enough attic insulation?

Visual Inspection
Head into your attic and look at the insulation in the attic floor, walls, and ceiling. Is the insulation level with the floor joists, or even below them? If so, your attic clearly needs more insulation. However, if you can easily see that the insulation rises above these joists, then you probably have more than enough.

Adding More
The amount of insulation you have is measured by an R-value. The R-value will specify the insulation’s ability to resist heat flow. On average, most attics should have an R-value of R-38, which equals to roughly 10 to 14 inches of insulation. Some attics might need more while others need less, it all depends on the space and the quality of the insulation.

Installation of the Insulation
Simply adding more insulation on top of what currently exists is possible, but you’ll need to evaluate its condition. This is where calling in the pros is necessary because not only will they inspect and evaluate the insulation in your attic, but they’ll be able to install it properly. Your attic can be filled with an exuberant amount of the highest quality of insulation, but none of that matters if it’s installed improperly.

Making sure your attic has enough insulation can help lower your monthly heating and cooling costs, while also saving your HVAC system from extended wear and tear. When your insulation and HVAC system needs inspection, service, or replacement, contact Tri-City Heating and Cooling. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at (203) 303-5700.