- This is one type of insulation used to insulate an attic.spiraling insulation image by jbattx from Fotolia.com
An attic is an important part of the house. Not only can it act as spillover space or convert into another room, but the manner in which it is insulated also affects the efficiency of the house. If the house is difficult to heat or keep cool, it is sometimes due to lack of insulation in the attic. Insulating the attic helps to create an impenetrable seal through which the heat in the house cannot escape, or cool air if you live in a warm climate. Insulation is rated by R-value, which is, as the Department of Energy defines it, the "resistance to heat flow." If the insulation is very effective at resisting heat flow, its R-value will be very high; if it is not, the R-value will be low. - R-38 fiberglass batt insulation is one effective way to insulate an attic. The insulation does not require facing. If you lay the batt insulation across the ceiling joists, with each batt pressed against each other, it creates an effective layer through which air cannot escape or penetrate.
- Loose fill is made of rock wool, cellulose or fiberglass. Of the three, cellulose has the highest R rating per inch, with rock wool and fiberglass coming in second and third respectively. This insulation is an effective barrier that is installed into your attic via a machine that you can rent from your local building supply store. Load the loose fill insulation into the hopper of the machine, and it will blow the insulation into the attic through hoses.
Fiberglass loose fill insulation ranges from R-2.2 to R-2.7 per inch, rock wool loose fill insulation ranges from R-3.0 to R-3.3 per inch while cellulose loose fill insulation ranges from R-3.2 to R-3.8 per inch. According to the US Department of Energy, use "roughly one 30-pound (13-kilogram) bag of cellulose or about 15 pounds (8 kilograms) of fiberglass or rock wool for every three wall cavities you fill" to achieve the R-38 recommended for your attic. - Rigid foam insulation is used to insulate an attic. Install batt insulation in between the rafters, and secure the rigid foam insulation directly to the rafters with nails to create an effective barrier. By itself, rigid foam works well in spaces that are rather limited because this type of insulation does not take up a lot of room. While expensive, it has an R-value of 4 to 6.5 per square inch.
