Prospective New Home Owners In Hot States Should Consider Protecting The Attic
When most people hear the word “insulation” they think about keeping the heat in a home to lower heating costs in the winter time. But residents in southern states such as Texas and Arizona that are subjected to hazardous high temperatures in the summer should also be aware of the benefits of proper insulation to prevent the hot sun from heating the home.
Unlike keeping heat in, this insulation needs to keep the heat out and it all starts with shielding against the sun. Where does the sun shine? That’s right, from above.
The article, “Insulation that cools from top down,” written by Ellen Henderson and published in the January 22, 2007 edition of The Dallas Morning News explains how beneficial insulating your attic against the sun can be come summer time in the desert states.
“In a climate as warm as Texas, Jim Sargent of AndersonSargent Custom Builder said, heating is less of an issue, so if you're looking to cut costs, you've got to concentrate on cooling. And most heat that permeates homes in the blazing Texas summers doesn't come through the walls.”
Rather the hot sun emits radiant energy on the top of your house which can make your roof feel like it is literally cooking in the oven.
“Compounding the problem is the fact that in most homes, air-conditioning ducts are installed in the attic. So the system must create cool air in the hottest part of the house, a situation Mr. Sargent likened to ‘making ice cream in the attic.’”
Then how do you prevent your attic from being an oven conductor or at least keep it cool?
“One option is radiant barriers, which typically attach to the decking material on the underside of a roof.”
Sargent state that these layers of foil block can reduce the temperature in your attic by 30 degrees but it merely helps and not solves the problems because attics in Texas and Arizona in the summer can range from 130 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
“So to truly see a reduction in cooling costs, said Mr. Sargent, you must cool the attic itself. This involves spraying an open-cell insulation foam against the top of the attic, sealing it to prevent transfer of heat from the roof into the open spaces of the attic.”
You will then have to close the outside ventilation ducts and open the ventilation form the air condition vents from within the house.
“This brings the attic into what's called the ‘thermal envelope’ of a house, and it's effective.”
“With that approach, ‘we've done studies that show only a four-degree difference between the interior and attic temperatures,’ said Keith Miller, owner of Panhandle Insulation, a Florida company that specializes in spray foam insulation with sealed-attic installation.”
This method of insulation is costly, about three times what it would cost for fiberglass insulation but the results are worth it.
“‘It pays for itself pretty quickly,’ Mr. Miller said. ‘And you have to remember that in the future, every time utilities go up, your savings go up, too.’”
And now that it is winter, demand for this insulation isn’t as high which means you could save even more money on the product and installation costs.