Defining Attic Insulation Levels in Kentucky

Monday, March 6th, 2017 by Joy Padgett

You know your house has insulation and you know it needs insulation. But, did you know there are recommended attic insulation levels for the great state of Kentucky? Do you know how much insulation should be in your attic? You might be as surprised as I was when I found out that most attics don’t have enough insulation. This means that most homes are uncomfortable and are more costly to heat and cool than they should be. This is especially true in the coldest and hottest months of the year.

Is Your Attic Under-Insulated?

The first step in determining if your attic has enough insulation is to understand the way insulation is valued. Insulation is measured by an “R-value”. The R stands for “resistance to heat flow” and is measured by the level of heat resistance per inch. A higher R-value means the more your conditioned air stay in your home…where you want it to stay.

R-values are directly related to the thickness of the insulation, but there is no standard thickness that applies to all insulation types. For example, loose fiberglass insulation has an average R-value of 3.2 per inch of thickness whereas loose cellulose insulation has an average R-value of 3.5 and closed cell spray foam has an average R-value of 6 per inch of thickness.

The next step in determining if your attic has enough insulation is to know what Kentucky recommendations are for attic insulation. Let me tell you, it is more than I thought it would be. For our great state, it is highly suggested that your attic insulation have an R-value ranging from 38 to 60! That converts to about 13 inches of loose cellulose insulation on the low end and 20 inches on the high end!

Now that you have this information, all you have to do is determine what kind of insulation is in your attic and use the depth of the insulation to check it against what is recommended for Kentucky. When you realize your attic is lacking in the insulation department, one of our Home Comfort Specialists can help you resolve this issue and help you determine what type of insulation would be best for you, your home, and your comfort goals.

Making sure your attic is properly insulated, which also includes making sure it is air-sealed, will help your home be more comfortable for you and will help reduce utility bills by keeping your conditioned air (which you have paid for) inside your home!