Attic Insulation: A Guide For Selecting Appropriate Materials
As part of a plan to increase your home’s energy efficiency, insulating your attic is a choice that will pay off in reduced heating and cooling bills and increased indoor comfort. Insulation effectiveness will depend on the type you choose. In addition, some types of insulation are more appropriate than others for particular applications. Here is a brief guide to selecting the right material for your attic insulation project.
- Blanket insulation: Blanket, batt or roll insulation is probably the type familiar to most people. It consists of layers of fiberglass, usually colored pink, with an exterior layer of heavy paper or foil. This type of insulation is commonly used in unfinished walls, floors and ceilings. It’s usually used to insulate spaces between wall and ceiling joists, studs and beams.
- Loose fill: Loose-fill insulation is made of small pellets of fiberglass or cellulose. These pellets are used to fill openings and cavities in unfinished walls and floors. Loose-fill insulation is also a good solution for insulating areas that are irregularly shaped or contain obstructions such as beams or other construction features. If you have a difficult-to-reach attic area that needs to be insulated, loose-fill insulation may be the best choice.
- Spray foam: Foam insulation consists of a plastic or polyurethane foam that is literally sprayed into place using specialized application equipment. Spray foam insulation quickly and easily fills wall cavities and floor spaces in your attic. You may find that spray foam insulation is a better choice for your specific needs if you have many hard-to-reach spaces in your attic.
- Rigid foam board: Polystyrene or polyurethane board is useful for insulating floors, ceilings, roofs and walls in your attic. Check with your insulation expert to see if there are any local building code or fire safety requirements for using foam board insulation.
Symbiont Service Corp. is one of the Florida Suncoast’s most trusted names in HVAC sales and service, with an emphasis on geothermal systems. Contact us today for more information on the importance of attic insulation and for expert help choosing the right type of material to use for your home’s unique insulation needs.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Englewood, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about attic insulation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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