April 18, 2023
When considering attic insulation in your Charlotte, NC home, there are a few questions you may find yourself asking. Questions like whether to install insulation on the attic floor (just above the interior ceiling) or the attic ceiling (just under your roof) and when to replace the insulation in your attic are some of the most common.
As the Charlotte insulation contractor homeowners have been trusting with their insulation upgrades for over 75 years, Standard Insulating Company knows a thing or ten about the best insulation for an attic, and where it should go. Here is what you need to know.
How Insulation in the Attic Works
The goal of attic insulation (and accompanying air sealing, which we recommend pairing attic insulation with) is relatively simple: prevent heat from moving through the exterior of your home. This heat transfer is a two-way street, meaning in the summertime heat will want to work its way into your home, and in the winter the heat inside your home will want to escape. Choosing the best insulation for an attic, and installing it in the right place, will ensure your insulation works year round to provide a number of benefits, like:
A warmer home in the winter
A cooler home in the summer
Fewer indoor drafts
Greatly reduced risk of ice dams and water damage
Less need to run heating and cooling equipment
Attic Floor vs Attic Ceiling
If we think of the insulation throughout your home as a shield that keeps your home comfortable, it makes it a little easier to understand where attic insulation is most important.
Attic Floor
If insulation is installed on the attic floor, it will slow the heat from inside the home from escaping up into the attic. The downside of only insulating the attic floor is that it leaves your attic space vulnerable to outside temperature changes.
Attic Ceiling (AKA: The Roof Deck)
Insulating the attic ceiling will slow the heat transfer coming through the roof and keep attic temperatures more stable, but with no insulation on the attic floor, the heat from your home will escape into the attic, conditioning a space you are not always using. To maximize the performance of attic insulation, we recommend radiant barriers which reflect and reduce emittance of radiant energy by 97%.
So, which one should you choose? We recommend both!
Should You Insulate the Attic Floor or Roof Deck?
If you are looking for an insulation upgrade that you can see (on your energy bill) and feel (in a home that is more comfortable), we recommend insulating the attic floor, and using radiant barriers on the roof deck.
A radiant barrier is a reflective material that is installed along the walls and rafters in the attic, and when combined with attic floor insulation will provide maximum control over the temperature in both your living space and the attic space. This improves the comfort of areas you might not think would be affected by your insulation upgrade. You can learn more about how the crawlspace and attic are connected in this recent blog.
Call Standard Insulating Company for Your Attic Insulation Needs
There is rarely one clear answer for all homes when it comes to finding the best insulation for an attic. Proper insulation solutions require a customized approach, which our experienced team of insulation installation experts is trained and qualified to do for any type of home here in the Charlotte area. If you are looking to battle high energy bills and inconsistent temperatures in your home, and get rid of your indoor drafts, call Standard Insulation Company to schedule an energy analysis!