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Mass Attic Insulation:

What is it?

Mass attic insulation is the fluffy material on the floor of your attic. It is usually one of two main types; Fiberglass or Cellulose. Fiberglass insulation is made of tiny glass fibers as well as some other materials. Cellulose is usually comprised of small bits of newspaper or other recycled paper and treated with a flame retardant and rodent repellent.

Which type of attic insulation is better for my home?

Each type of insulation has its own strengths and weaknesses. Fiberglass won't absorb moisture, is noncombustible, and won't settle when installed correctly. It costs a bit more then cellulose, but has many benefits.

Cellulose will settle, absorb moisture and can be very dusty. Cellulose costs less, requires less material to achieve high R values, and is produced with much less energy then fiberglass.

Each material is a great way to achieve greater comfort and energy savings in your home. One of our energy experts can further discuss the best options you and your home.

How does it work?

Mass attic insulation is very much like the comforter on your bed or a thick blanket. It works by slowing down heat transfer. The more your have, the better it works. It forces heat to slow down when trying to move through it which means your air conditioner should be able to keep up. 

This is good and bad. If you have a large amount of insulation with no radiant barrier, you'll find that your insulation is holding a large amount of heat after the sun has gone down. It could take up to three hours after the sun has gone down for the heat to work its way out, into your house. This means for three hours after the sun has gone down, your air conditioner is still trying to remove the heat from your house. Adding a radiant barrier does a great job in these situations.

Specifically, mass insulation works against conductive and convective heat transfer. This means you should still have a radiant barrier and ventilation. All three technologies are needed to make your attic as efficient as possible.

Typical installations...

95% off the work we do installing attic insulation is using the blow-in type. This allows us to evenly cover all areas of your attic floor with an equal amount of insulation while ensuring all gaps are filled in uniformly. This method is the quickest and most efficient installation available.

Preparing the work area...

All recesses lights are protected using light dams. These are cardboard tubes that keep insulation from covering the lights, causing excessive heat buildup or damaging of the lights.

We also will remove excess debris or small objects out of the way if needed. Our install technicians will do a quick inspection of the work area to ensure that there are no hazards or objects that needed to be fixed or removed be beginning work.

The truth about baffles...

Baffles are large pieces of styrofoam or cardboard designed to be stapled to the underside of the roof above soffit vents to ensure that insulation does not cover the soffit vent. We typically do not use these as they greatly restrict the amount of airflow through the soffit vent. Our installers take great care in not blowing insulation into the soffit areas. We slope the insulation away from the soffit area in order to keep the air flow unrestricted and moving as much air as possible. Please speak with one of our energy experts to discuss some of the details of how we guarantee we will not cover any soffit vents. 

Installation time:

Standard installation times vary depending on the size and difficulty of the attic. Almost all jobs will take less then a day. Most will take 2 to 5 hours. This also will depend on what type of attic insulation we are installing and in what form; blow-in or batts.

Want to know more?

Please contact us with any questions you may have at 972.79.ATTIC. Please ask to speak with one of our energy experts and schedule your FREE in-home consultation today.