Heating and cooling your home probably accounts for about half of your Mobile AL energy bill. As energy costs rise, homeowners in Mobile and across the U.S. search for ways to lower their energy bills. By reducing heating and cooling costs, you can cut your energy bills and save money. One way to reduce the amount of energy necessary to keep your home comfortable is to upgrade the insulation in your attic.
Most heat loss occurs through the attic and roof of homes. Homes that are not properly insulated can lose up to 20 percent of the conditioned air. Essentially, 20 percent of the cost of heating and cooling the home is simply lost through the attic in many homes. Attic insulation increase the effectiveness of your home’s envelope to retain cooled and heated air.
Evaluate the R-Value
The R-Value of insulation is an evaluation of the material’s ability to resist the transfer of heat. All insulation, including blown, foam and sheet material, is measured using this standard evaluation. If you would like to know if upgrading the insulation in your attic will make a difference in your energy costs, evaluate the R-Value of the insulation that is currently installed.
Using a yard stick or ruler, measure the depth of the insulation in your attic at several points. Multiple each measurement in inches by 3.6 to determine the R-Value of your insulation. Two inches of insulation would have an R-Value of 7.2. If the levels of insulating materials greatly vary, consider the smallest measurement as your guide. R-Value degrades when insulation is sparse or missing.
Recommended R-Value
HVAC experts and home builders recommend for attic insulation to have an R-Value of 30. To conserve energy and save money on heating and cooling costs, upgrade your existing attic insulation to an R-Value of 30. If you have blown insulation, this means that you should have at least 8.5 inches of insulating material covering 100 percent of the attic floor. You should also reinforce insulation around the attic door, windows and other openings. Seal points where wires enter the walls and make sure to wrap beams and joists.
To upgrade your insulation, you can install new material on top of the old. The R-Value is cumulative, meaning that if your existing blown insulation has a R-Value of 10 and you add 5 inches of additional material on top of the existing insulation, the R-Value will be 28.
Upgrading your attic insulation is definitely worth the time and effort if you find your existing insulation is well below an R-Value of 30. If you have adequate insulation, adding more might not produce a noticeable difference in your energy usage. However, the insulation in most attics is considerably less than R-30. Evaluate the insulation in your attic to determine if your home would benefit from an insulation upgrade.
If you would like additional information about how to reduce your home’s energy consumption and save money, contact Action Heating and Air Conditioning. We are Mobile’s first-class heating and air conditioning company.