More Information About Attic Insulation
There are two seasons when your attic insulation is most important:
- In the summer, heat trapped in your attic transfers to your living area through your ceiling and robs dollars spent on cooling.
- In the winter, heat (that you paid for) leaks from your living area through your ceiling, heating your attic and escaping outside.
NRG SVRS looks at the attic system as a whole. Before any insulation is installed, we recommend filling all gaps and cracks; flagging junction boxes to prevent fire hazards and identify their locations before burying them in insulation; flashing around hot vent pipes and chimneys; ensure all scuttle holes/access points sealed to prevent easiest transfer of heat. (This can be part of our service. See {Seal Drafts}.) Then and only then is it appropriate to insulate.
And when we insulate, give you a thick layer of high quality, energy efficient insulation that qualifies for federal (and other) income tax credits.
We also recommend maximizing ventilation of the attic. Attic temperatures can reach 150 F in the summer! If not removed, this heat leaks into your home, adding strain to your existing systems, and cost to your energy bill. Ventilation will reduce the strain on the home cooling system by removing stagnant hot air in the attic produced by the summer sun.
Adding more attic insulation is frequently our customers’ “biggest bang for the buck”.
As for Cost vs. Value: The upfront cost of attic insulation is significant. However, the value of attic insulation in using less energy to heat/cool your home is far greater than the cost.
NRG SVRS inspects and identifies what, if anything, is necessary to do in order to have an optimal and effective insulation and ventilation system.
NRG SVRS will custom-design an attic plan for your home to vastly reduce the transfer of heat between your hot attic and conditioned home space.
The Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are the most credible experts on insulation values and {they recommend} R-38 for attic insulation in the Atlanta area. R-38 equals 14.5 inches of CertainTeed InsulSafe SP fiberglass blowing insulation
CertainTeed (InsulSafe SP) Insulation
www.certainteed.com/products/insulation is GreenGuard certified for superior indoor air quality.
“This means that our insulation will contribute very low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and other pollutants to the indoor environment”, according to CertainTeed.
Owens-Corning (PRO PINK L77) insulation
insulation.owenscorning.com/professionals/insulation-products/propink-l77 is GreenGuard certified and is also certified by Scientific Certification Systems to be composed of 50% recycled glass.
“Our insulating products are rated Number One in Builder Magazine Brand Use Study for the last 16 years,” according to Owens-Corning.
We also provide a subsidy package that includes all of the information and paperwork needed to receive the energy efficiency tax credit. This tax credit is for 10% of the cost of materials (labor is not included) and the maximum amount is $500 for insulation.
NRG SVRS also insulates walls and floors, and seals drafts to make your house as tight as possible and minimize leaking of energy dollars.
