Six Reasons to Install Attic Insulation

Attic insulation is a pretty cheap home improvement investment that reaps a great ROI. You could see a return on your money within a couple years, depending on the severity of your home efficiency. The following five things should give you reason enough to get started soon on your latest attic project.

1. It keeps your home warmer in the winter.

During the winter months, the warm air in your home is always trying to escape into your attic because heat rises. Having 18" of cellulose insulation in your attic is going to reduce this heat loss signicantly. That means your heater doesn't have to come on as often and your house can sustain a warmer temperature than with no insulation at all.

2. It keeps your home cooler in the summer.

In the summer time your attic is really, really hot and that heat is always trying to transfer into a cooler space. That's just physics. A combination of radiant barriers and loose fill insulation in your attic can really decrease the heat that is transferred from the hot sun into your house. This allows your house to stay cooler and your AC to take longer breaks in between cooling.

3. It reduces convection in your home.

Convection is when the movement of air occurs from one space to another. In other words, hot air rises and cool air sinks. Attic insulation helps reduce this action during the winter time when the heat inside your house is trying to escape into the attic.

4. It reduces radiation in your home.

No, I don't mean nuclear radiation or anything like that. I mean the process of one warm space giving off heat toward a cooler space. The most important aspect of insulation is its R-value. The R stands for 'resistance to heat flow' and in this case, higher is better.

5. It saves money on your energy bill.

Most importantly, attic insulation is the number one way to improve your energy bill. Depending on how well the installation is done and how much you put in, you can save anywhere from 20%-40% on your bill. Considering the cost of insulation, that is pretty significant. We all know that at the end of the day, it all comes down to money, but helping do your part for saving the environment isn't too bad either.

6. It saves money on your taxes.

Yes, that's right. If you install attic insulation, you are eligible for energy efficiency tax credits. That can be for federal and sometimes state as well depending on where you live. And a credit is the best kind to get because it knocks straight off your bottom line. In other words, if you pay $2,000 in taxes and your energy credit is $800, you only have to pay $1,200 in taxes. I have been trying to come up with new energy efficiency projects the last few years to take advantage of this perk while it lasts and I recommend you do too.