Many homeowners know what insulation is but are unsure exactly how it works and how much it costs. Home insulation aims to minimize the amount of heat that transfers in and out of your home. Regardless of its application, the role of insulation in reducing heating and cooling costs and improving home comfort is unmatched. There are various types of insulation materials. Some types of insulation are made of fiberglass, cellulose, mineral wool, polystyrene, and more. Other forms of insulation are sleek foils and rigid foam boards. There are also different application methods, including batting rolls, loose-fill, spray-in foam, and others. As a professional home insulation contractor, Conejo Services can help you choose what is right for your home.
Attic insulation provides resistance to heat flow and lowers heating and cooling costs. If you think of the pink, cotton-candy fluff that hangs out in your attic, you’re on the right track. Attic insulation controls a large part of the home’s internal temperature and guarantees home comfort throughout the seasons. It provides a critical barrier to the elements and temperature changes year-round. The California Energy Commission requires attic insulation to have an R-value of R-38 for cathedral ceiling insulation in all climate zones, R-38 ceiling insulation in climate zones 1 and 8-16 (most of Ventura County and LA County), and R-30 in climate zones 2-7.
Blown-in attic insulation is more flexible and best suited for attics that are with lots of penetrations and obstructions to work around and non-standard or irregular joist spacing. Blown-in insulation is a loose-fill material comprised of cellulose, fiberglass, and mineral wool. As the name suggests, the fibers are distributed throughout the attic with a large hose connected to an electric blower.
Want to be more comfortable in your home and save on energy costs too? Your attic is the number one place to start. Hot and cool air moves into and out of your home in four ways: conduction, convection, radiation, and air infiltration. Insulation is the key to take control of the temperature inside your home.
Heat can radiate and leave your home through an under or uninsulated attic when it is cold outside. Blown-in attic insulation can keep this huge energy waste from happening. Improving your attic insulation factor provides dividends every single day of the year. Insulation from Conejo Services can keep that heat in the winter and the cold in the summer and save on energy costs.
Let’s face it; utility costs are always going up. Changes you make today on attic insulation will save you MORE each year to combat rising energy costs. According to studies, the average American home will have its energy for heating and cooling reduced between 20% and 30% with high-quality insulation. Conejo Services can provide the best quality insulation for your California home.
Contact us now to start saving on ever-increasing energy and utility costs. Call 805-499-0448 to get started.
Another great benefit of attic insulation is how it deadens outside and inside sounds, giving you a calmer and more peaceful environment in which to live.
Both fiberglass and cellulose are blown-in insulation that offers a certain degree of fire retardancy during a fire. Cellulose is made up of paper that is then treated with chemicals that greatly reduce its ability to retard fire. The chemicals are safe and approved for use by all government agencies. Fiberglass insulation does not burn but can melt eventually in a fire.
You’d probably assume rats and bugs like the nice soft-looking insulation to make a home. Happily, this is far from the truth. Cellulose insulation contains chemicals that repel pests like these in your attic. Fiberglass also is not an attractive environment for pests.
MUST READ: Your True Guide to Attic Insulation
Insulation is most often needed to control the temperature inside your home and help save on utility bills. But insulation can also help with things like fire protection and soundproofing.
So, what is the best attic insulation if they all sound so crucial to a comfortable, energy-efficient home? They are:
Blown-in insulation is loose-fill, or sometimes, sprayed into place, consists of fiberglass, cellulose, and loose mineral wool material. It is environmentally friendly, made mostly from recycled newspapers, and easy to use in hard-to-reach places. Blown-in insulation is not the cheapest insulation material, nor is it the most expensive.
Insulation batts, which are made from special batting materials, come in smaller pieces and are also a cheaper option. Insulation batts are easier to handle since they come in smaller pieces and have about the same R-value. However, they don’t always fill small spaces and crevices in the way loose-fill insulation does.
One of the most common attic insulation types, foam board has a high R-value, meaning it is highly resistant to heat flow. Foam board is rigid, unlike other forms of attic insulation, and is also more expensive.
Although there are various types of attic insulation, all are not created equal. If you still have more questions about choosing the best insulation option, you can contact Conejo Services, a professional insulation contractor, today and schedule a free home insulation inspection.
Many home improvement stores rent blown-in insulation machines for DIY installation, and while the idea seems straightforward, getting even coverage throughout an attic is a lot harder than it looks. Hills and thin patches are common, and even small gaps in coverage can significantly reduce your insulation’s effectiveness. Professional installers have the experience and equipment to deliver uniform depth and density from corner to corner to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of your new insulation.
Over the years, fiberglass batt insulation gradually compacts and deteriorates. This lowers the insulation’s R-value. High R-value keeps the air in your home warm and cozy in the winter and cool and refreshing during the summer.
Most attic access panels are just a piece of drywall or thin wood — materials that do very little to stop heat from moving between your attic and your living space. The fix is straightforward: a fiberglass insulation batt cut to size and attached to the back of the panel. It’s a small detail that’s easy to miss, but leaving it unaddressed means you have a thermal gap right in the middle of your ceiling.
Not sure if your attic insulation is actually doing its job? These are the warning signs worth paying attention to:
It is best to have professionally installed attic insulation to ensure a properly insulated house. Contact our Insulation experts by today or call now at 805-499-0448 to speak directly to our consultant.
Home insulation should last years. However, insulation material loses its effectiveness when it settles or compacts, like when it gets damp or wet from a leaky roof or when workers in your attic walk on the insulation and compress it.
Additionally, if your home was built before 2009, it may be only half as efficient as it should be. California code back then only required R-19 attic insulation versus today’s R-38 standard for most parts of Ventura and LA County. That means you’re probably spending a lot more on your energy bill than you should be.
Your attic is the greatest area of heat loss during winter and heat gain during the summer. Get an inspection of the condition of your insulation to determine if you need to add more layers. Schedule a FREE, no-obligation estimate appointment with Conejo Services, a reputable insulation contractor, to add more insulation that will improve your comfort, increase efficiency, and reduce your energy costs.
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