If your attic is uninsulated, you’re simply letting heat and cool air pour out of your house. Attic insulation installation in Petaluma, CA can be a great way to make your home more energy efficient, and once you do it, you’ll notice the results on your energy bill right away.
Perhaps you’re asking, though, “What is the most cost- and energy-effective way to insulate an old attic?”
Here are some of the best options.
Loose-fill spray insulation
This is a great option for old attics, which often have irregular joist spacing (as batts are cut to fit regularly spaced joists). Loose fill is sprayed in, which means it can even work if your attic has existing insulation. The loose fill will be forced into whatever gaps are currently there in your insulation.
Your options for loose fill are:
- Cellulose: It’s made from recycled paper, and is probably the most common of all loose fill insulation. It can mold if not treated, and also has to be treated to be fire and insect resistant. But it’s an effective, inexpensive option, and excellent at limiting drafts.
- Fiberglass: It’s made of recycled glass that has been turned into fibers. It’s an excellent and easy-to-install insulator. It has to be put on much thicker than other loose-fill choices, as it settles quite a bit over time.
- Mineral wool: Made from slag from blast furnaces that have been spun into fibers. It’s naturally fire and insect resistant, but it’s also more expensive than both cellulose and fiberglass.
Batt insulation
If your attic is up to current code standards, batt insulation is a sound choice, as it’s already cut to fit perfectly in between joists and studs, and is easy to roll out and tack on. It’s easy to measure your attic to determine how many batts you’ll need to insulate everything, and easy to return excess batts if you have leftovers after attic insulation installation in Petaluma, CA, meaning you won’t waste money.
Your options for batt insulation are:
- Cellulose: Has the same benefits of loose-fill cellulose, with the added benefit of being easy to install on your own.
- Fiberglass: The long-time insulation standard. Fiberglass batts are an affordable way to insulate your attic.
- Mineral wool: Benefits are the same as with its loose-fill form, but it’s still more expensive than fiberglass and cellulose options.
- Wool: A really unique form of insulation. It’s 100 percent sustainable and natural, excellent at keeping in heat and cool air and naturally resistant to mold, as it’s very good at releasing moisture. It’s usually more expensive than fiberglass, but an excellent natural alternative.
- Cotton: Made from recycled denim, cotton is another excellent natural insulation choice. It doesn’t insulate quite as well per inch as wool, but is about on par with fiberglass. It’s more susceptible to mold than wool, and also needs to be treated to be flame resistant.
Spray-foam insulation
This is probably the best insulation option––especially if you’re refitting your attic to be lived in––but requires professionals to install it. It doesn’t need a vapor barrier or any help keeping it from absorbing moisture, and putting up sheetrock over it makes it more effective and safer to use.
Bottom line
If you’re looking for pros to handle your attic insulation installation in Petaluma, CA, give us a call here at Ace Insulation Inc. We install a variety of types of insulation, and can help you insulate or reinsulate your attic to save you money every month on your energy bill.
Good insulation helps keep your house warm when it’s cold outside, and cool when it’s hot outside. For a long time, fiberglass insulation was the go-to choice for home insulation, but with our society’s growing focus on going green, a number of more eco-friendly insulation options have gained in popularity.
If you’re in the market for insulation—say you’re building a house or refinishing an attic––and it’s important to you that your insulation be green, here are some of the best options according to your favorite source for insulation installation in Petaluma, CA:
- Wool insulation: This is an excellent and convenient green insulation solution. It comes in rolls just like fiberglass, so it’s just as easy to install. And unlike fiberglass, it’s easy on the lungs. You can install it without wearing protective gear. Obviously, wool is highly sustainable. It’s also an excellent insulator, and resistant to moisture and mold. It needs to be treated to be fully flame retardant, which somewhat diminishes its eco-friendliness.
- Cotton insulation: Similar to wool, it’s also sold in rolls, and is safe and easy to install. It’s often made of recycled denim, making it of very low environmental impact. It’s good at absorbing moisture and allowing it to evaporate, meaning it doesn’t often attract mold. However, it must be treated to become flame resistant. Also, it can be quite expensive, so it’s not always the best option for large, airy places.
- Cellulose loose-fill insulation: This is made from recycled paper. It’s a sprayed or blown loose-fill insulation. Because it’s a spray insulation, it provides a tight seal as a wall and attic insulator, preventing too many air leaks, which are a major cause of loss of heat/cool and higher energy costs. It’s about as effective per inch as fiberglass, very environmentally friendly and one of the most affordable insulation solutions around.
- Spray-foam insulation: This is sprayed on to about the thickness of paint and then expands to about 100 times that size, meaning it provides a totally airtight seal—so airtight that you’ll likely need to install a ventilation system if you use it. Icynene spray-foam insulation provides the energy-saving benefits of spray-foam insulation, with the green benefits of the other naturally sourced insulations, as icynene is made from castor oil and is a water-based foam. Unlike wool and cotton, however, it needs to be installed by a professional.
- Mineral wool: Mineral wool is made from recycled smelting slag, so its eco-friendliness is because it is recycled, not necessarily because of the material itself. Mineral wool is made by taking molten slag rock and converting it into fibers that are spun together into a wool-like insulation. Because of the treatment of the slag rock, mineral wool is naturally fire resistant, and doesn’t need to be further treated to prevent mold. It is also an excellent insulator. Mineral wool can be irritating to your respiratory system, though, so take care to wear protective gear when installing this material.
Since 2001, Ace Insulation Inc. has been on the cutting edge of eco-friendly insulation installation in Petaluma, CA. We’re a locally owned and operated insulation installation company, and whether you are building a new home or renovating your existing space, we are the team to call.
While most people know that insulation provides protection from heat loss in the wintertime, they’re less likely to know that it also has protective qualities that are designed to work during the summertime. Insulation installation in Petaluma, CA can actually make you cooler inside your home throughout the summer months by reflecting the sun’s heat from inside your home.
Reduced moisture
Just like in winter, your insulation provides a barrier of protection for your home to keep warm air out and your cooled air-conditioned air in. Because your insulation installation in Petaluma, CA is designed to reflect heat, you gain benefits during the summertime thanks to its cooling properties. Your house will stay cooler and not heat up as much when it gets hot outside.
Without proper insulation in your home, you will feel the hot outdoor air seep in through your walls and heat your home quickly during the summer months. It will also make it more humid as moisture travels through the air, making you sticky and uncomfortable.
Insulation installation in Petaluma, CA acts as moisture control, keeping your home free from that sticky feeling that comes with excess humidity. You will immediately feel more comfortable with the installation of insulation in your home, as the moisture level in your house will decrease as a result.
Energy savings
One of the major benefits of insulation keeping your home cooler in the summertime is what it can do for your energy bills. Because you are using insulation to keep the hot air out of your home, your air conditioner is able to circulate cooler air throughout your house that stays put inside.
When your home is inherently cooler, your air conditioner doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain the indoor temperature. This means that your air conditioning system will operate less frequently while still keeping you comfortable and at the temperature you have set on your thermostat.
Having professional insulation installation in Petaluma, CA makes it possible to reap these energy savings benefits, as you will experience little cooling loss through your walls, ceiling or attic. It has been estimated that you can cut your energy bill in half by having modern insulation installed throughout your home for protection from the summer heat.
Some insulation even has a reflective backing that is designed to reflect the sun’s heat away from your home in the summertime. This also works in the wintertime to keep heat inside your home, and is another reason to have your home insulated properly for year-round comfort.
With insulation installation in Petaluma, CA, you will feel more comfortable and cool in the summertime inside your home. Your air conditioner will get less use, and you will save a bundle on your energy bill every month. To have your home protected for summer with new insulation, contact the experts at Ace Insulation Inc. We specialize in a variety of insulation types to keep you cool in the winter and warm in the summer. Get in touch today to arrange an estimate!
