When home improvement experts find there is an excess amount of insulation in a home, they will say your house is too tight. This condition means there isn’t enough natural air entering the building. Because the health of your family depends on proper ventilation to supply fresh air, you don’t want to overinsulate a home. Here are issues to consider when sizing up the amount of insulation you have in your home.
Getting the Proper Amount of Insulation
The figure known as the R-value measures insulation’s ability to resist heat flow. ENERGY STAR puts the amount of insulation recommended in a typical Roswell home at R-38 for an attic. This works out to about 10 to 14 inches of insulation.
There are helpful guidelines for deciding whether you have enough insulation in your home, beginning with a survey of your attic. If you are able to see the floor joists, then you probably could save energy by adding insulation. Evenness is as important as full coverage, so it’s crucial that the levels are similar throughout the attic.
Beyond the insulation covering the attic floor, you may consider adding insulation to the eaves of your home. This job will require the installation of rafter vents that keep soffit vents clear and ensure the optimal performance of an insulated attic floor. Whenever you decide you are going to add insulation, make sure air leaks are plugged, or the work won’t be effective.
When a House Is Too Tight
One way to determine if a house is tight with insulation is to have a roofing professional measure the level of air changes per hour (ACH). This measure describes how often the air in a particular space will be replaced. In an energy-efficient home, that number should fall below 0.50 ACH. However, building guidelines suggest a minimum 0.35 ACH, regardless of whether the air enters the home through fans or is a result of natural air leaks. Though some contractors may suggest pushing the number as low as possible, most homeowners like the idea of fresh air entering the home naturally. Using this system, mechanical ventilation, such as a fan, is not required to draw a healthy amount of air inside a home.
Other concerns revolve around combustion appliances inside a home. If impure air is circulating when these appliances are in use, residents will find it more difficult to breathe. A house is likely too tight when it is fitted at 0.35 ACH and equipped with combustion appliances that do not allow adequate fresh air to enter.
Reducing the Tightness
Insulation goes beyond the attic of your home. Reliable’s home performance specialists can determine whether your home has become overinsulated. Clearing insulation from attic vents and adding sources of ventilation are the first plans of attack to loosen up a tight house.
If an inspection determines your home could use more insulation, it doesn’t mean you have to use the same types of materials that are already in your home. Mixing and matching insulation is an option. Because insulation cannot do its job without an efficient building envelope in place, you have nothing to lose and plenty of performance to gain from an energy audit by Reliable.
Ask Reliable Heating & Air about insulation services that make sense for your home. Whether you believe your home is too tight or not tight enough, Reliable will find the exact formula you need.