Attic Insulation: Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Attic insulation is a critical ingredient to getting the most out of your HVAC system. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 9 out of 10 homes are under-insulated. That means that many homes could be more comfortable and energy-efficient.

Most homes have fiberglass batts (also called blanket insulation) installed in their walls when the home was built, but there are many times when we are working on the HVAC system in the attic that we find a home could benefit from having more insulation.

If you can see the ceiling joists in the attic, you probably don’t have enough insulation. Adding blown-in insulation in the attic is by far the biggest opportunity to lower your utility bills and make your HVAC system work more efficiently.

Add Blown-in Insulation

Blown-in insulation is an efficient and popular choice to add insulation to your attic floor. Fiberglass insulation (also called glass wool) is made from finely spun glass, and it is a tried and true solution. It can be purchased in batts or as blown-in or loose-fill insulation.  We recommend fiberglass blown-in insulation to our customers for many reasons.

Reasons to Install Blown-in Fiberglass Insulation

  • Saves energy and lowers electric bills
  • Increases indoor comfort
  • Reduces the load on your HVAC system
  • Easy and fast to install
  • Does not degrade like cellulose insulation
  • Resistant to mold and mildew
  • Makes a good sound barrier
  • Non-combustible and non-corrosive
  • Cost-effective compared to mineral wool insulation

How We Insulate an Attic

During spring and fall HVAC checks that we recommend, we can identify if your home is one that could benefit from more attic insulation. Here’s how we do it:

    1. Inspect Your Attic

      Your blown-in fiberglass insulation has an R-value of 2.5 per inch. The higher the R-value refers to how efficient a material is in conserving heat. We can measure the depth of insulation needed for your attic floor to blow in enough insulation to get to the R-38 standard which is commonly recommended in our warm climate. Once we know how much insulation you need, we can get you an accurate estimate.

    2. Seal Attic Bypasses

      We can seal around pipes that go through your attic to maximize the effectiveness of additional insulation.

    3. Add Blown-in Insulation

      Using an insulation blower and armed with safety equipment, at least two HVAC technicians will be on the job. One will monitor the blower and load in the insulation, and the other will direct the insulation to the places on your attic floor that need more insulation. The insulation may seem fluffier than usual at first, but it will settle over time, filling in and sealing small gaps.

      Keep in mind that blown-in insulation is a maintenance task best performed in the winter, spring or fall, not during the heat of summer. It can be dangerous to work in hot attics for an extended time period in the summer, which is why we recommend adding blown-in insulation during any other season.

    4. Measure and Check Results

      We will use a ruler to measure the depth of the insulation blown in while accounting for settling. We will also visually inspect that no spaces in the attic were missed before completing the job.

We Can Help

If energy efficiency is on your mind, contact Rob and Kenny at Terry’s A/C & Heating for a quote to see if adding blown-in attic insulation could help lower your utility bills and make you more comfortable. If you’re in the market for a new HVAC system or need a repair to the one you have, we can help!  We also offer a scheduled HVAC maintenance plan we call the Peace of Mind Protection Program to make it easy to keep your HVAC system in good shape all year round. We strive to make it easy to stay comfortable no matter how warm or cold the weather is in West Houston, Texas including the Southwest part of Harris County and Fort Bend County.

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