January 9, 2024

Where To Insulate Your Home

Proper Insulation saves on energy bills.

To achieve the best energy efficiency in your home, proper insulation from the rooftop down to the foundation is important. Below is a detailed overview of the areas to add insulation in your home:

1. In Unfinished Attic Spaces:

Start by insulating between and over the floor joists to seal off the living spaces below. This is a key step in attic insulation in Houston. If your air system is in the attic, consider insulating the rafters to keep the system within the conditioned space.

Also, don’t forget to insulate the attic access door. At EZ Attic Insulation, we offer a free attic door cover when you choose us for attic insulation services.

2. Insulating Finished Attic:

For attics that are already made into rooms, you need to insulate between the wall beams and under the roof. This helps keep the temperature stable. It’s also a good idea to insulate the space behind the walls, especially if there’s empty space behind them.

3. Exterior Walls Insulation:

This is a big part of Houston attic insulation. You should insulate all exterior walls. This includes walls between living spaces and unheated garages, as well as above ground level foundation walls and in heated basements.

4. Floors Above Spaces without Heating:

Make sure to insulate floors that are above places like garages or crawl spaces that don’t have heating. This also includes parts of the floor that stick out past the main walls of your house.

5. Don't Forget Other Areas:

Remember to add insulation to the small beams that run around the edges of your floors. Also, seal up any gaps around windows and doors to stop drafts.

Remember, besides insulation, you should also think about moisture and air leakage control in each part of your house. If you live in an area with radon or termites, these should also influence your insulation choices.

Blown In Fiberglass Insulation Depth Measured

Insulation in your Attic

Attic insulation is usually done using either loose-fill (blown-in) or batt insulation. Loose-fill is often less costly and can cover more area effectively when installed right. It’s worth learning about different insulation types to see what’s best for your home.

Checking Insulation Thickness: To see if your attic has enough insulation, measure how thick it is. If it’s less than what’s equal to R-30 (around 10 to 14 inches), adding more could be beneficial. This is a key point in insulation in homes.
Preparing for Insulation: Before adding insulation, it’s important to seal any air leaks and fix any roof issues. If your attic access is in a part of the house that’s heated or cooled, make sure it’s also insulated and sealed.
Insulating Knee Walls: If you have knee walls – these are walls with attic space right behind them – insulate and seal them too.
Considerations for New Homes or Remodels: If you’re building or remodeling, and you plan on having storage or HVAC equipment in the attic, make sure your attic floor is raised above the ceiling joists for enough insulation space. Also, if your heating/cooling system is in the attic but not in the conditioned space, insulate your rafters to include the system.
Dealing with Heat in Warm Climates: For those living in hot climates, think about installing a radiant barrier in your attic rafters. This helps reduce heat gain during summer, an important aspect of maintaining an efficient home in warm areas like Houston.

Insulating your Ducts

When you’re looking at attic insulation in Houston, don’t forget about the ducts. If the ducts in your house are in spaces like attics or basements that aren’t heated or cooled, it’s important to seal them and add insulation. This helps in keeping your home more comfortable.

Also, if you’re in the process of building a new home, think about placing the ducts in areas that are already heated or cooled. Doing this reduces the energy loss that usually happens with duct systems in unconditioned spaces.

Insulation for Cathedral Ceilings

When insulating cathedral ceilings, it’s important to ensure there’s enough space between the roof deck and the ceiling for proper insulation and ventilation. You can achieve this with truss joists, scissor truss framing, or large rafters. For instance, cathedral ceilings with 2×12 rafters can accommodate standard 10-inch batts (R-30) and have room for ventilation. Another option is the unvented, or hot roof design, which allows more insulation in the roof cavity since you don’t need vent space. Just make sure the roof cavity is completely sealed off from the space below to avoid moisture problems and roof damage.

For these types of ceilings, foil-faced batt insulation is common because it has the permeability rating needed for ceilings without attics. Installing a vent baffle between the insulation and roof decking is necessary to keep the ventilation channel open.

In situations like these, high-density R-30 batts are a good choice. They are as thick as R-25 batts but fit into 2×10 framing. Adding rigid foam insulation under the rafters is another method, which increases the R-value and reduces thermal bridging through wood rafters. Remember, though, that rigid foam needs to be covered with a fire-rated material, like half-inch drywall, when used inside a building. Always check with local building authorities before installation to ensure compliance with building codes, especially when it comes to insulation in Houston.

Insulation for Exterior Walls

If your attic is well insulated and air-sealed but your house still feels chilly in winter or too warm in summer, adding insulation to the exterior walls might be necessary. This step, though often more expensive and requiring a professional, can make a significant difference. When replacing your home’s exterior siding, it’s a good time to add insulation too.

Exterior Walls Insulation in a home

You have choices in insulation for your exterior walls, blow-in insulation is a good choice. Installed with the dense pack technique, it offers high R-value with little disturbance to your home. If you’re remodeling and have open wall cavities, two-part spray foam or wet spray cellulose insulation are effective options. For closed wall cavities, injectable spray foam could be considered. Batt insulation is an affordable alternative, though it doesn’t provide an air seal like spray foam does.

In a newly built home, you can explore various insulation types available. If you’re in the design phase, consider structural insulated panels, insulating concrete forms, or insulated concrete blocks. These have built-in insulation, often resulting in better insulating grade and less thermal bridging.

If you’re tackling exterior wall insulation in your Houston home, these strategies can greatly improve your home’s energy efficiency and comfort. Whether you choose blow-in insulation for existing walls or opt for advanced techniques in new construction, the right insulation approach can make a big difference. For homeowners in the Houston area, consulting with professionals like EZ Attic Insulation can provide you the best insulation services to meet your home’s specific needs. We offer expert advice on the best materials and methods for your home’s exterior walls, ensuring optimal insulation and energy savings. With our expertise, your home will be well-insulated, reducing energy costs and increasing comfort year-round.

Insulation for Floors Over Cold Garages

If you’re insulating floors above garages that aren’t heated, start by sealing any gaps where air can get through. This helps keep out harmful stuff like car fumes and chemicals from the garage. Plus, put in a barrier to stop cold air in the garage from going through the insulation under the floor.

Rolled Fiberglass Batt Insulation installed in a home’s garage

Insulation for your Basement

Insulating your basement right can lower your heating costs and make it a cozy, dry area to live in. Usually, if a basement has insulation on its outside walls, it’s like a part of your heated home. Even in homes where the basement isn’t heated, it’s still more linked to the rest of the house than to the outside. That’s why insulating the basement walls is better than insulating the ceiling.

Benefits of Insulating Your New Home's Construction

It cuts down on heat loss through the foundation and reduces the effect of thermal bridging.
It protects the coating that keeps dampness out from getting damaged when filling in the area around the foundation.
It offers some defense against water getting in.
It makes the foundation part of the building’s thermal mass, which helps keep inside temperatures more stable.
It lowers the chance of condensation forming on surfaces in the basement.
It saves space inside compared to putting insulation on the inside of the basement.

In an existing home, it’s not reasonable to add insulation to the outside of basement walls. Instead, insulating the inside walls of the basement has several benefits. Firstly, it’s much cheaper to do this for existing buildings than to insulate the exterior. Also, you can use almost any type of insulation for the interior. Plus, this approach gets rid of the risk of bugs getting into the insulation.

Easy Insulation Services for Your Home

To wrap it up, insulating your home in the right places makes a big difference. It keeps your home warm or cool and saves on energy bills. Think about insulating outside walls, putting attic insulation, and making basements cozy. Don’t forget about insulating over cold garages and adding insulation to cathedral ceilings and air ducts. If you live in Houston or nearby, EZ Attic Insulation can do all these jobs for you, contact us today or give us a call at (713) 909-0390 and receive a free estimate. We will make sure your home is snug and energy-smart.