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Reduce Your Heating Costs by Upgrading the Insulation in Your Attic

One of the easiest home improvements you can make that will help save you money on home heating costs is increasing the amount of insulation in your attic. The attic is typically overlooked by many homeowners as they do not think about the space between the actual ceiling of their rooms and the roof need to be replaced. They assume this area is well protected and prevents cold air from getting in during the winter.
Roofing

However, this is not entire true. Even most newer homes only have the bare minimum attic insulation as required by current building codes and could be R32 or less! In addition, most home builders do not insulate the attic hatch or access panel. Leaving this area uninsulated can result in up 20% heat loss right through the ceiling, into the attic, and out of your home.

For the best insulation, our attic insulation and roofing company in Oshawa recommends increasing your attic insulation to R-60, which is approximately 18 to 19 inches of insulation. For instance, in older homes, there may be only a few inches of insulation in the attic, so it might take between 16 to 17 inches of new insulation to properly bring the home to R-60.

Increasing the insulation to at least the government’s recommended R-50 level or even to R-60, can help reduce heated and cooled air loss through the attic by as much as 75 to 80%! With this much reduction, you will notice an increase in savings on your home heating and cooling bills, since your system will not have to run as often to maintain your preferred indoor temperatures.

The amount of insulation your home requires does depend upon several factors including:

  • The Age of the Home
  • The Current Amount of Insulation
  • The Condition of the Current Insulation
  • The Amount of Air Flow in the Attic

It is equally important to also have the current insulation inspected for signs of damage. Damage can come from water leaks in the roof, as well as rodents and pests. Verifying the current condition of the existing insulation can help identify other potential problems and have those resolved before adding the new insulation.

While adding insulation to your attic, we often recommend to have soffit baffles installed to improve air flow in and ventilation out of the attic. Air flow and ventilation in the attic are essential in order to keep air flowing and prevent problems with the roof. In the winter, air flow reduces the potential of ice damage. In the summer, air flow helps remove the extremely hot air from the attic and also helps to protect the roof shingles.

For more information about adding insulation to your home, please feel free to contact the roofing and attic insulation experts at Logik Roofing by calling 905.424.7469 for a FREE estimate or to schedule an in-home consultation appointment today! We proudly serve areas throughout the GTA, including Durham, Oshawa, Toronto, and Cottage Country.