What You Should Know About Attic Insulation
By Linden J. Walhard
One surefire way to reduce your heating cooling expenses in your home is by adding insulation in the attic. Heat and cool air often leaks from the home through the attic, therefore properly insulating can efficiently conserve energy for you.
When correctly installed, attic insulation can reduce your energy bill by about 20% or more each month. As well, there are lots of different materials that are frequently used for insulating attics. Most often, you don’t even have to hire a professional to do this. You can do most attic improvements yourself.
When considering the type of insulation that you’ll want to use in your attic, think about the R-value. The R-value of is the insulation’s ability to resist against heat flow. The higher the R-value, the more successful it will be to insulate your home. The materials can vary in thickness, which means that some insulation averages an value of R-3 while others are as high as R-8 per inch. It’s important to remember that over time, most insulation will lose some of its capacity to insulate and will lessen in R-value.
There are tons of reasons to think about replacing or improving your attics insulation. If you have little or no insulation, or you have it but it’s old, then replacing it has much benefit. Also, you’ll want to consider insulation if you have large energy bills or if your walls or attic have been open to the elements during remodeling.
There are many types of material that can be good options for using in attic spaces for insulating. Cellulose insulation is made of ground up wood or paper. It’s often used in attics and commonly has additives that prevent mold as well as resistance to fire.
Another type of insulation material is fiberglass. This is made of molten glass strands. It is also resistant to fire. Wood shavings are not used much any more for insulating in attics. This is because it can be much too heavy for the inside of attics, plus can promote fungal growth.
Before you begin adding or replacing insulation to your attic you consider the fact of whether or not you have moisture problems in your home. Adding the insulation can hasten this problem. If moisture gets trapped in the insulation material it can easily cause mildew and dangerous molds to grow and spread. This is beyond the fact that it can also cause staining and rotting of the ceiling as water and moisture collect in the attic. You should seal any and all air leaks before you put in your insulation in your home. This will also help lower your energy bill simply by keeping the cold air from entering.
Always use much caution when working with insulation material. Be sure to protect your hands and eyes by wearing protective gear that will cover your nose as well. You’ll be thankful when you do.
Concentrating on latest developments in drywall equipment, Linden Walhard pens normally for
http://www.insidewoodworking.com . His comments on drywall tools are published on his site .
|