It's a fact that attic insulation will keep the house warm during the winter, but it's not immediately obvious that it can also help keep the house comfortable during the summer. The right amount of insulation, combined with a well-sealed home, can save you an average of 15% on your annual heating and cooling costs. Insulating the attic prevents cold air from escaping because it reduces air movement, also called convection. Overall, an average home can save 10 percent on cooling by insulating the attic. Of course, there are other insulation options on the market that may be suitable for your attic, and a trained insulation and HVAC professional can tell you about them after evaluating your space.
Every house is different, but one common feature they all have in common is that a well-insulated attic will make it easier to cool them down in summer. To understand how much insulation your attic needs, we'll first need to review something called “R Value”. The R value is the ability of an insulating material to withstand heat flow; the higher the r value, the greater the insulating power of the material. Although the R value measures the efficiency of attic insulation, it is different from the type of insulation the attic has. Attic insulation works to absorb the heat produced by heating systems during the winter months and, conversely, it can prevent warm air from spreading around the house from the attic, where you will notice the highest peak of heat during the day during the summer. Adding insulation to the attic can help greatly reduce the amount of these irritants entering the home. Access to the attic is usually through one of these, but gaps around the attic door frame can cause air to leak out.
The attic hatch cover, which can come as a zippered cover or as a removable board, helps block any additional air leaks between the attic door and your frame. And just as attic insulation helps keep cold air out of a warm home, it also helps keep warm air out of a home that's comfortably cooled. However, proper insulation in the attic can keep heat out by helping to seal the home envelope and prevent rising temperatures and air leaks, especially when combined with new windows that aren't cracked or dripped.
