Heat can escape from your home through the attic, especially if it doesn’t have enough insulation. Excessive heat loss can result in higher energy bills because your heating system has to work harder to provide enough warmth in your home. Insufficient insulation can also compromise the comfort of your home, during winter or summer.
Does Your Attic Have Enough Insulation and is it Safe?
How to Get Efficient Insulation?
Installing adequate attic insulation can help you enhance the comfort of your home, ensuring you don’t pay too much on your energy bills. Where do you start? With an audit.
Getting an energy audit in your home can determine how much energy you consume. Auditors can also identify the areas of your home where you lose energy the most.
Why is R-Value Crucial?
R-value is a vital factor that contributes to the effectiveness of your attic insulation. This refers to the resistant ability of an insulation material against heat flow. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) explains insulation with a higher R-value provides better insulation.
Each home may have a different required amount of R-value, depending on the climate in your region, your heating and cooling system, and where you will install the insulation. The age of your home is also a key consideration.
The DOE categorizes all American regions into different zones to identify how much R-value will suit their climate. Based on its graph, R-values of R38 to R60 can be ideal for attic insulation in Kansas City homes. Knowing the right R-value for your home can guide you in choosing the type of insulation for your attic.
What is the Risk for Asbestos Exposure?
Asbestos was once an insulation material due to its ability to resist heat and corrosion. Breathing asbestos fibers, however, can lead to the development of asbestos, a chronic lung disease that causes shortness of breath. Other symptoms include:
- A persistent dry cough
- Chest tightness or pain
- Loss of appetite with weight loss
If your home has loose-fill attic insulation, you’re likely to be at risk for asbestos exposure. This type of insulation is loosely poured into joist or wall stud cavities, resulting in a great number of loose particles in your home.
Some vermiculite attic insulation can be a major source of asbestos danger. Vermiculite contaminated with tremolite, an asbestos-like mineral, can pose a danger to health. Houses built before 1990 are more likely to have asbestos-containing attic insulation. It’s because the company that provides the majority of this type of insulation closed in that year.
Choosing the Right Attic Insulation
Not all loose-fill insulation contains asbestos and can cause health problems. Materials, such as fiberglass, cellulose, and rock wool are safe for insulation with proper application. You may also choose from other types of insulation that fit your attic.
Although there are materials ideal for do-it-yourself projects, working with professionals minimizes the risk of costly mistakes.
Our team at A+ Insulation can provide safe solutions for your insulation needs to enhance the comfort of your home. We can inspect your attic to identify certain issues that need professional help, such as a leaky roof, insufficient attic ventilation, and old wiring that create a fire hazard. Our team knows how to handle insulation problems well to finish the work on time and on budget.
Contact us today to learn more about our services.