How To Tell If Your Attic Is Properly Insulated
As we move through the winter season, now is a better time than ever to highlight the importance of your home’s attic insulation. Nearly 90% of single family homes in the Pacific Northwest are under insulated according to the Department of Energy. If you’re part of that percentage, you could be losing as much as 25% of your heating through the attic. A properly insulated attic can reduce energy expenses, prevent mold and pests, and keep your home at the perfect temperature year-round.
Signs Your Attic Insulation May Need to Be Replaced
If your attic insulation has become wet, damaged, or infested with pests then it’s time to replace your insulation. When insulation becomes wet, damp, or soggy the material must be replaced immediately. The presence of moisture is a clear indicator of what potential problems may form if the attic is left in this state. In addition, blocked vents will inhibit proper airflow and could result in a mold problem forming very quickly in your attic. Not only is attic mold extremely dangerous to your health, but it will also render the material ineffective. Another sign that your home may need new insulation is a high energy bill. Lack of insulation or damaged insulation will translate to a higher energy bill because your home’s heating source has to work much harder than if the attic was adequately insulated. Temperature fluctuations in your home as well as cold drafts could also be an indicator that your insulation needs attention.
How To Tell If Your Attic Is Properly Insulated
Chances are if your home is over 15 years old and you have not replaced your insulation in that time, your attic will likely have outdated insulation and probably does not meet the newest code requirements. For the Pacific Northwest an R-value between R38 and R60 is recommended by the Department of Energy for maximum thermal performance. In some cases, a simple top-off attic insulation service is all that is needed to bring attic insulation up to code while optimizing energy efficiency along with home comfortability. It is important to remove existing insulation and install new attic insulation if your old insulation is an outdated material like cellulose or if you have or have had rodents or other pests as well as any mold growth in your attic. Cellulose is an organic compound that breaks down, reducing effectiveness over time. It also attracts pests creating a perfect nesting material. Pests and mold lead to unhealthy conditions and removing all traces is important before putting new insulation in the attic.
Attic insulation has evolved over the years with improved technology now available. Fiberglass insulation no longer contains harmful chemical compounds like formaldehyde, making it the best option for most attic spaces. The material itself deters pests from calling your attic home, is non-flammable and is moisture resistant. These benefits combined make fiberglass blown-in insulation a safe option for every home.
Not only can you save up to 25% on heating and cooling costs with proper insulation, but many utility companies often offer rebates for these types of upgrades. In fact, Puget Sound Energy is offering rebates that help offset the up front costs of updating your attic insulation. Check out if you qualify: www.pse.com/rebates/insulation.
Our Attic Insulation
Valentine Roofing offers blown-in ProCat Loosefill Attic Insulation from Owens Corning to improve the overall health of any Northwest home. This attic insulation acts in conjunction with the home’s roof and ventilation to create a system specifically designed to protect your entire home. ProCat insulation will help to alleviate excess humidity because it does not absorb moisture essentially allowing any moisture in the air to flow through the attic rather than building up in the insulation. In addition, the new blown-in insulation will act as a barrier between the naturally dry air in the attic and the warm air in your home, preventing temperature variations and humidity.
ProCat is a completely synthetic material, which allows it to not break down over time like organic-based attic insulation. Because the material is not organic, pests are discouraged from using it to nest or as a source of food. In addition, upgrading to ProCat can result in savings of upwards of 25% on your heating bill by increasing the efficiency of the attic system as a whole. Safety is another major consideration when you’re thinking of which insulation to put in your home. ProCat insulation comes with a class A fire rating, is free from formaldehyde, is non-corrosive, and is Greenguard Gold certified making it extremely sustainable.
If your existing insulation in your attic is in good condition Valentine Roofing can offer a top-off attic insulation service. A top-off is cost-effective as it does not require the removal of your existing insulation. Rather our insulation technician will add insulation to meet Department of Energy recommendations for Puget Sound, ensuring your attic and your home will be as efficient as possible.
A properly insulated attic will keep your home and family comfortable year-round. Valentine Roofing has the expert team in place to tackle your residential attic insulation needs. For more information about our attic insulation services or to contact us, visit our Attic Insulation page.
