Sencon

Understanding Insulation

While it’s hard to get excited over something as mundane as insulation, the truth is, it is one of the most important tools you can use to keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Without it, or in insufficient amounts, the conditioned air you pump into your home to keep comfortable will simply escape much faster, increasing your energy consumption and the cost of your utility bills.

Insulation at its most basic understanding is simply a product used to slow the movement of heat. By trapping air in tiny pockets that restrict it from moving, air remains a constant temperature for longer periods of time. Heat transfer that would normally be occur through natural air movement is slowed because air flow is restricted.

While the thickness of insulation is important, the type of insulating material being used can also make a big difference. A prime example is when comparing wool insulation to a concrete wall. Amazingly, one inch of mineral wool insulation offers the same insulating ability as 46 inches of concrete!

The ability of insulation to restrict air movement is called the R-value. R-values of standard insulation range from 2.1 to 7.7 per inch. Adding more insulation increases R-value. Recommended R-values for different areas of the average home are R-38 for attics, R-13 for exterior walls, and R-19 for lower level floors.

To determine the depth of insulation required to reach a specific R-value, divide the recommended R-value by the R-value per inch of the material you're using. A common example is wool batt insulation, which has a per inch R-value of 3.5.

In order to insulate a ceiling to the recommended R-38 level, you would need 10.9 inches of wool batt insulation. You get that by dividing the R rating needed by the per inch R-value of the insulation you are using. If using R-38 batt insulation, you would simply roll the insulation out when installing it new. If adding insulation to an insufficient layer, you would simply add the additional amount of inches of insulation on top of it, however, when adding new insulation on top of old, use loose fill or unfaced batts.

Blown in insulation is also an excellent option in this situation.

For more information on installing insulation or to get help determining how much additional insulation your home needs and installing it, call SENCON’s experts today.

For a complete list of homeowner services by SENCON, click here.