The amount of insulation you have in your attic can have a direct impact on the amount of cash you pay to heat and cool your home. I dont know about you, but I would rather spend my money on something fun!
So how do you know if you have enough insulation in your attic? I could go into a lot of details with graphs and charts and talk about R-values and other technical terms, but what fun would that be? With the recent weather we have had in Northern Illinois, the easiest way to tell if you have enough insulation is to check your roof after a snow fall. If your roof has no snow left and the other houses do, you may need more insulation.
If you place your hand near the ceiling and it is noticeably cooler, you may need more insulation. These two methods may seem primitive, but they are great indicators of how well your insulation is saving your money.
Most attics are insulated with loose fill insulation. The two most common types are cellulose and loose fill fiberglass. Cellulose is made from recycled news paper that has been treated with a fire retardant. Loose fill fiberglass is the same material you find in rolls or batts of fiberglass, but it is chopped so it can be blown in the attic with a machine.
I promised I wouldnt get too technical, but I have to give some guidelines other than using your senses. In Northern Illinois (Zone 5 on the US dept. of energy map) it is recommended to insulate your attic to a minimum of R-38. That translates to a minimum of 10-12 of cellulose or 14-17 of fiberglass. How does your attic measure up?
How to Insulate an Attic
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