It is customary to re-insulate your attic during the roof process. Doing so will save a minimum of 20% off of your cooling and heating bills and make it more comfortable. Homes built before 2007 were required to only install R-19. The new code is R-30, though they are leaning to changing this to R-34. Typical investment payback is less than 3 years. Insulated areas do not include non-conditioned spaces.
Conductive Heat:The current minimum standard for our area for attic insulation is R-30, 7 ½”. Some homes have no insulation, which would require the entire R-30 to meet the minimum standard. If your attic insulation is 3 ½”, you have R-12 and would need to add R-19 to meet the minimum requirement. If you have 5 ½” of attic insulation, you have R-19 and need to add R-12 to meet the minimum requirement.
In the winter, if the outside temperature reaches 30 degrees, and you are trying to keep your home at 70 degrees, the temperature difference is 40 degrees (70 – 30), you would need R-19 at a minimum. In the summer, your attic can reach a temperature of 140 degrees. If you are trying to keep the home at 70 degrees, that is a difference of 70 degrees (140 – 70) and you’d need a minimum of R-30 insulation.
Radiant Heat: If you do not have a radiant barrier, then the top 1 inch of your insulation can be 10 degrees – 20 degrees hotter than the air in your attic. The heat is absorbed by the insulation and eventually enters your home. If a radiant barrier is installed on the back of your rafters, 97% of the radiant heat reflects back out and never reaches your insulation.
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Walls/Floors: These areas, if not insulated, allow the transfer of heat and cold.
Insulation Check Sheet:
You might be surprised how many people don’t know they’re sending money through their roof.
A standard single family home going from an existing R-12 to R-30 will see a minimum reduction of 20% on their cooling and heating bill. If your power bill averages $100 a month, about half of that is for cooling and heating, typically. A 20% savings would equate to a $20 reduction on your bill each month, per $100 of every cost.
About 78% of homeowners have not added any insulation to their attic; in part because they believe their home already has enough.
However, 80% of homes built before 1980 are not insulated to correct standards. Even newer homes may not be as energy-efficient as you think. Current codes are only the minimum insulation requirements for new construction – not the amount recommended to optimize energy efficiency.
Overall, about 60 million homes built before 1980 are under-insulated, costing Americans $8.2 billion each year. Simply insulating existing homes to current standards would save 800 trillion BTUs (that’s 76 supertankers of oil) each year.
Higher Resale Value: An energy-efficient home appeals to buyer’s financial and environmental interests.
Research shows that 71% of homebuyers want a home that reduces their overall impact on the environment. And 96% of homebuyers consider energy efficiency when buying a new home.
A Positive Impact on the Environment: CertainTeed insulation products save many times the energy used to make it in the first year alone. And they continue to help conserve energy year after year without consuming any additional resources.
The products CertainTeed sells each year are responsible for the prevention of more than 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions. This equals the emissions of 200 million passenger cars or the use of 2 billion barrels of oil.
Responsible Use of Resources: Many CertainTeed products are made with renewable resources, recycled materials or the byproducts of other production processes. CertainTeed Fiberglas insulation is made of plentiful sand and recycled glass.
Loose fill insulation, also called “blown-in” insulation, is made of virgin white fiber glass insulation. It is used in new construction and in existing homes, typically in hard-to-reach areas.
- It will not settle or lose its energy-saving abilities over time.
- It does not require the addition of fire-retardant chemicals that can promote corrosion of pipes or wires.
- It will not rot or decay, support fungus or mold growth, or provide sustenance for insects or vermin.
- CertainTeed Loose Fill Insulation Brochure
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