In addition to walls and attics, insulation should be installed in ceilings with unheated spaces, basement walls, floors above vented crawl spaces, cathedral ceilings, floors over unheated garages or porches, knee walls, and in between interior walls—especially bathrooms—as well as ceilings and floors.
Because a large volume of indoor heat is lost through the ceiling, the attic floor above is considered the most important area in the house to insulate for winter comfort and efficiency.
Never place insulation close to water heaters, oil burners or anything hot. The backing is especially flammable and will be a major fire hazard for your home.
Internal wall insulation, such as UdiTHERM NF wood fibre insulation, tends to be used less than external due to the disruption it causes to the occupants of buildings although it can be simpler to install and can offer greater improvements in winter comfort.
In most cases, interior walls are not insulated during construction. Unlike exterior walls, which must meet local and state codes for insulation, interior wall insulation is rarely required. This is because interior insulation has much less impact on your home's energy efficiency – but it can still play a role.
Insulate all exterior walls, including (3A) walls between living spaces and unheated garages, shed roofs, or storage areas; (3B) foundation walls above ground level; (3C) foundation walls in heated basements. 4. Apply insulation to floors above unconditioned spaces, such as vented crawl spaces and unheated garages.
It is possible to over-insulate your house so much that it can't breathe. The whole point of home insulation is to tightly seal your home's interior. But if it becomes too tightly sealed with too many layers of insulation, moisture can get trapped inside those layers. That's when mold starts to grow.
Both roof and ceiling insulation are great options for insulating your home, but which one is best for you? Ceiling insulation can be easier to install than roof insulation, as access to the roof can often be more difficult. Additionally, insulating your roof requires more planning to accommodate different roof types.
A flat roof should preferably be insulated from above. A layer of rigid insulation board can be added either on top of the roof's weatherproof layer or directly on top of the timber roof surface, with a new weatherproof layer on top of the insulation. This is best done when the roof covering needs replacing anyway.
If you were to insulate your main walls internally, any heat within the walls (from the sun heating them) wouldn't enter the property as the internal insulation would stop it getting through. On the other hand, if you install external insulation, you'll stop the sun being able to heat the walls in the first place.
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a premier material for protecting homes, foods and sensitive materials because of its cost-effective, efficient insulation qualities. In fact, EPS leads the pack when it comes to R-value per dollar.
“It will reduce the amount of energy required to heat and cool your home, with a few caveats,” Bentley says. “Air leakage can reduce insulation efficiency quite substantially if there are a lot of leaks. Large thermal 'holes' can make the addition of insulation futile, as all the energy will still flow out of them.”
As for attic vs. wall insulation, always go for the attic. The largest pay back will be seen here. You would stop heat loss from natural convection and block solar gain (an increase in heat) in the attic, which can result in energy savings of 30 to 50 percent.
An insulating material's resistance to conductive heat flow is measured or rated in terms of its thermal resistance or R-value -- the higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness. The R-value depends on the type of insulation, its thickness, and its density.
The Not So Good Things. This type of insulation also leaves gaps, which can reduce the overall effectiveness of the finished installation. The material isn't the safest either, and has been known to cause respiratory problems after extended, direct exposure.
All of the time and work that your HVAC system puts into heating your home is wasted if you have roof insulation because the heat gets lost in the attic. You'll end up paying significantly more on your energy bills, and your HVAC's life span will be shorter.
Better: insulate the sloped ceiling
It's usually easier and more effective to insulate the sloped ceiling rather than the kneewall. In a traditional story-and-a-half Cape, the insulation should extend from the rafter bird's mouths to somewhere above the flat ceiling above the second floor.
Do the touch test. The interior ceilings, walls and floors in your home should feel warm and dry. When drywall and paneling inside a home feels damp or cold, there is not enough insulation. Alternatively, when touching an exterior wall, it should feel cold because insulation is keeping warm air inside a home.
For most homes, it can last for 20-80 years! That being said, like all things, insulation tends to wear down over time. If you are living in an older home and encountering some of the following problems, it may be time for a replacement.
As a general rule, insulation should be replaced or retrofitted every 15 to 20 years. However, it may need replacing or retrofitting sooner depending on the type of insulation installed, the R rating of the original insulation, compression and movement over time, and whether any damage has occurred.
If your walls feel cold when you touch them, then it is likely that your home is not well insulated. Fortunately, you can easily make your walls warmer by installing extra insulation and completing other home energy upgrades. This will reduce heat loss, lower carbon emissions, and save you money on utility bills.
Open-cell spray polyurethane foam or closed-cell spray polyurethane foam (ccSPF) insulation can be sprayed along the underside of the roof sheathing to provide a conditioned and insulated attic space that can be durable and efficient in all climate zones (see Figure 1).