Insulation
Ashton Thermal installs every kind of insulation on the market today.
Most people are aware that insulation is important to keep heat inside
the building, but many are unfamiliar with the benefits of the different
products available. For more information on types of insulation please
look here. To learn about our insulation services, keep reading…
There are several common configurations of attics. Here in Vermont,
we see primarily suspended ceilings and cathedral ceilings, as well
as combinations of these two. Many of the attics in our region do
not have sufficient levels of attic insulation – some have none
at all! The Department of Energy now recommends a minimum of R-49
for our  climate.
Vermont’s residential building code mandates no less than R-38.
Those “R” values are equivalent to 15” and 12”,
respectively. If your attic has less than 12” of insulation,
you need to call us.
Attics seem like they should be pretty straightforward to insulate,
and they usually are, but somehow many people get it wrong. There
can be many places in an attic that are often overlooked by do-it-yourselfers
and builders, alike. Below is a list of some of the areas that we
commonly see problems:
- Additions to houses are one of the first places we suspect a problem.
It can be difficult, but not impossible, to marry old construction
to new. We usually find discontinuities in the thermal envelope
where additions are built, and there are too many variations to
list simple solutions in this space.
- Porous ceilings, i.e. tongue & groove boards, T-bar ceilings,
stapled tiles, unfinished drywall.
- There is no good air barrier between the conditioned space and
the attic, particularly when fiberglass insulation is used (it
simply acts as a filter). The solution is to install an effective
air barrier. Cellulose can be used as a partial air barrier because
it is denser than fiberglass and restricts airflow.
- Side attics: as seen on Capes and dormers. Side attics are usually
under-insulated, but the other problem is the huge bypasses that
exist under the floor. Outside air is essentially allowed to move
freely from one side of the building to the other, causing a cold
floor and cold ceilings in the rooms below.
- One solution is to place blocking between the floor joists
to prevent air from getting beneath the floor. Another solution
is to ignore the side attic and make the roof the thermal boundary.
Either of these remedies is fine as long as the insulation and
air barriers are installed with attention to detail.
- Soffits and stairwells are often overlooked when insulation is
installed. It seems obvious to insulate these, but they are somehow
overlooked, or only partially insulated. Skylight shafts fall victim
to the same negligence.
- To be effective, insulation must physically touch the surface
of the area that it’s trying to insulate. This means that
every surface whose opposite side faces the interior of the
building must be insulated. It can be difficult for an inexperienced
installer to remember this when working in a dark, complicated
space, but it is absolutely necessary.
- Cathedral, or vaulted, ceilings are often under-insulated, they
can be very leaky to the outside (air), and they are subject to
moisture problems.
- The very best way to insulate a cathedral ceiling is with
spray foam insulation, or at least rigid foam with sealed seams
at the rafters. The next best way to insulate, especially as
a retrofit procedure, is to dense pack cellulose insulation.
- Porches and garages that are attached to a building are often
left un-insulated at the point where they attach to the house.
- The solution is to install an effective air barrier and sufficient
thermal insulation, particularly in the case of garages since
they typically contain emissions that are not welcome in the
living space.
Far from being a complete list, the above is intended as food for
thought. Think about how your house works. Do you have enough insulation?
Are there rooms you wish were warmer in winter? Do you get ice dams?
Are there cold drafts upstairs? Do you have moisture problems?
Ashton Thermal uses cellulose insulation for most applications in
attics. When combined with good attic air sealing, cellulose is the
best product available for the price. It is a recycled product, made
from old chopped-up newspapers, so it is environmentally friendly.
We use cellulose that has been treated with borates to make them flame
and pest resistant.
We’re happy to answer any of your questions or concerns regarding
the insulation in your attic.
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