A big part of keeping your home comfortable and cozy throughout the year is making sure that your attic is well-insulated. This part of the house is often overlooked or neglected in terms of proper insulation because it is usually used as storage or simply left unfinished. However, even if your attic is not being utilized as a living space, it should still be given proper attention in terms of insulation because it is the biggest part of the house exposed to the elements by virtue of being closely connected to the roof.
When your attic is not correctly fitted out in terms of insulation, you’ll feel the impact on your electricity bills. This is because you may be exhausting your cooling or heating appliances just to maintain the right temperatures in your living spaces. A poorly insulated attic may also lead to more costly home maintenance and repair costs. The air and moisture that seeps into an under-insulated attic may allow nasty mold and mildew to grow indoors. This further puts the health of your family at risk. Water seepage may also damage the walls and ceilings of your home, thus compromising the structural integrity of your property.
One great solution for improving the insulation capacity in your attic is to install new batts or pre-cut pieces of blanket insulation. They’re easily available at home improvement stores like Pacific Insulation Supply. However, once you buy the batts, you’ll also want to ensure that they’re installed properly. To that end, here are our tips for successfully installing your new insulation batts into your attic.
Assess the Space
Proper installation of new batts depends on what the situation is like in your attic. Is it an unfinished space that you’ll have to insulate from scratch, or does it have existing insulation? The answers to these questions will determine what type of batt insulation you should buy. They’ll also determine how much batt insulation you need to achieve the ideal R-value for your whole attic.
Next, see which parts of the attic need extra insulation. For an unfinished attic, you may want to focus on the flooring because this is the part of the attic that’s connected to the living spaces below. For a finished attic, you can enhance the insulation by applying batts to the walls and ceiling.
Choose the Right R-Value for Your Insulation Solution
Next, you’ll want to shop for insulation batts that have a high enough R-value. This is the rating that indicates how strong the batt’s insulation capacity is. As such, the higher the R-value of the material, the better its capability to insulate against conductive heat transfer. The US Department of Energy recommends R-38 insulation on most attic floors. In order to attain this R-value, you can buy R-38 solutions or you can purchase efficient R-30 insulation batts and layer them as necessary.
Determine Which Type of Batt Insulation You’ll Use for Your Attic
Next, you’ll also want to choose particular batt insulation products for your attic. No two products are exactly the same, and one may be better for use in your attic than another. You can choose between unfaced and kraft-faced batts, the latter of which have vapor retarders on their kraft paper side. Note, too, that there are different batt insulation products made out of different natural materials, like mineral wool, fiberglass, or cellulose. When in doubt, research each material or ask your supplier which one is best for your application.
Seal Air Leaks
Now that you’ve bought your new batts, it’s time to prepare your attic for their installation. Before you lay the batts out, make sure there are no opportunities for air to leak in or out of your attic. The insulation will be ineffective if there are holes, spaces, or gaps on the building envelope or on the attic floor. Thus, before you lay out any new insulation, make sure you completely seal off any air leaks that you may find in the joints and crevices of your attic.
Do One Last Check of Your Ventilation and Electrical Systems in the Attic
It’s also good practice to check the attic’s ventilation system and ensure that it’s properly functioning. You’ll be able to make the most of your attic insulation project if you can breathe properly there, and a big contributor is your ventilation system. Finally, be aware of any exposed electrical wirings, outlets, and sockets in your attic that may pose as fire hazards. Repair these immediately and secure them in place before installing the insulation batts.
Install a Baffle around Objects That Produce Heat
One important principle of insulating an attic is to take special care around objects that produce heat, such as light bulbs. You will actually want to put space between these objects and the insulation material by creating a baffle around the former. For your attic, you can create a simple one out of either rigid foam or clean cardboard. Once your bulb or lamp has a baffle around it, you’ll be able to install the batts at least 3 feet away from each side.
Cut Your Batts into Properly Sized Pieces
Though the insulation batts are pre-cut, you will still need to measure and cut them out to guarantee an exact fit the architectural assemblies in your attic. To make this easier for you, measure the spaces where you’ll be laying out your new batts. Then, measure the batts and cut them down to the perfect size using a beam and a utility knife. They may need to be just a little wider than the space they will be put in to ensure a secure fit, but they shouldn’t be too big as to make them bunch up or crease. When you take this step, your new batts will be a breeze to press into place.
Pack Kraft-Faced Batts with the Kraft Side Down
Lastly, before you press the batts in, make sure they’re going the right side down. As a rule of thumb, if you’re using kraft-faced batts, you should pack them with the kraft side facing downwards. This is so that you get maximum efficiency from the paper kraft layer, which acts as the moisture retardant of the batt. The unfaced side should be on top, or the side that’s facing you.
Conclusion
It’s truly worth your while to ensure that your attic is properly insulated. And contrary to what you may believe, this kind of home improvement job doesn’t have to cost you big bucks. As insulation solutions, batts are easy to install, highly affordable, and great at insulating attic spaces. You’ll even find a solid range of trustworthy batt insulation products here at Pacific Insulation Supply alone.
If you have any concerns regarding proper installation of new batts in your home, don’t hesitate to consult our experts. me.
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