Tips on Attic Insulation

Adequate insulation and air sealing of your attic will help lower energy bills for homeowners. Attics are the most cost effective place in the home to insulate. Insulating an attic will immediately raise the comfort level of your home and reduce energy consumption. Attic insulation helps keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

No matter what type of insulation you currently have in your attic, the quickest way to determine if you need more is to use a tape measure. Start by surveying your attic, if the insulation level is level with or below your floor joists you'll need to add more insulation. If you cannot see the floor joists and can stand on them while the insulation reaches past your knees the insulation levels are most likely sufficient. Insulation should be evenly distributed with now parts of the ceiling showing. Sometimes contractors will move insulation to make improvements and repairs, if they don't replace the insulation when they are finished your insulation will become ineffective.


R-values are the grades assigned to insulation levels. An R-Value is a measurement of the ability of your insulation to resist heat flow. The higher the R-Value, the more thermal protection the insulation offers. Colorado homes should have an insulation rated at R-49 in the attic. If you need to add additional insulation to your attic space, you do not need to use the same type of insulation that is currently in the space. You can add fiberglass batts or blankets over loose fill insulation and visa verse. If you are using fiberglass over loose fill make sure that the fiberglass overlay does not have any foil or paper backing. Unfaced fiberglass insulation is best used in this circumstance. If you decide on loose fill insulation look into hiring Denver insulation companies to finish the job.