You already knew that insulation helps keep your home warm in the winter, but did you realize that it also helps keep your home cool in the summer? That’s right — insulation keeps the cool air your air conditioning unit produces inside your house, and prevents your house from soaking up too much heat from the sun and hot air outside.

How much insulation does your house need? That depends on where you live — but Phoenix-area homeowners are battling the desert heat, so they’ll need more insulation than homeowners who live in cooler climates. How can you tell if you need more insulation in your home? Although there are some DIY solutions for the dedicated homeowner, the best way to tell if your home needs more insulation is through a professional home energy audit.

Types of Home Insulation

There are four basic types of home insulation:

• Foam-in-place
• Roll and batt
• Loose-fill
• Rigid foam

Roll and batt are the types of insulation that you probably imagine when you think of home insulation. They come in sheets that are sized to fit in between wall studs or joists in your floor or attic, and are made of rock wool, fiberglass, or other mineral fibers.

Loose-fill insulation is made of rock wool, fiberglass, or cellulose and looks like loose fiber pellets or wads of fiber. Special pneumatic equipment must be used to blow this type of insulation into the space to be insulated. It’s the best choice for odd-sized areas, or attics with exposed wires, pipes, or ducts.

Rigid foam insulation is typically applied to exterior or interior wall sheathing, and may also be used to insulate attic hatches. Foam-in-place insulation can be blown under floors, into walls, onto surfaces, or into cracks, such as those around doors and windows. It’s made from polyurethane and comes in small aerosol cans so that it can be easily applied to spots where air is leaking.

Understanding Insulation R-Values

An R-value is a unit of measurement used to designate a particular type of insulation’s resistance to heat. Different kinds of insulation have different R-values, and the R-value will be displayed on the insulation’s packaging or, in the case of roll and batt insulation, on the paper facing. The higher the R-value, the more heat resistance that insulation provides. A product with a high R-value provides more heat resistance even with a thinner layer of insulation, so the higher the R-value, the more powerful the insulation.

What R-value should you look for in home insulation? That depends on factors including:

• The climate in which you live
• Your home’s design
• Your heating and cooling methods

People who live in hotter climates need a higher R-value insulation to keep cool air inside their homes. By checking recommended insulation levels, you can see that residents of Phoenix need an R-value of between 49 and 60 in an attic. The floors need an insulation R-value of 25 to 30, and the walls need an insulation R-value of five to six.

Check Your Home’s Insulation

The most foolproof way to verify that your home has the proper amount of insulation is to contact a heating and cooling specialist for a home energy audit. But you can get an idea of how well your home is insulated by checking it out for yourself.

Go up into your attic and take a look at the insulation. If you have roll or batt insulation, you’ll find the R-value printed right on the paper wrapping, as discussed. If you have loose fill insulation, decide whether it’s cellulose, fiberglass, or mineral
wool. Cellulose is white and doesn’t cause itching, while fiberglass may be white, pink, or yellow, and does cause itching. Mineral wool is a dirty grey color. Measure the depth of the insulation in inches and then look up the R-value based on how much insulation you have.

You can get some idea of where cold air might be leaking from your home by getting a non-contact IR thermometer. Use the thermometer to check the temperature around doors, windows, vents, outlets, light switches, and ceilings on all levels of your home. Wherever the thermometer indicates a literal hot spot, that’s where cold air is leaking from your home. Remember not to point the thermometer directly at window glass, since that can reflect an inaccurate temperature reading. Instead, point it at the window frame, drapes, or the wall nearby. If you think your home may be leaking cold air — or if you spot imbalances in the way your cooling system cools your home — it’s time to call in the pros.

Summer is coming, and it’s time to make sure your home insulation is up to the task of keeping cool air in and hot air out. The better your home’s insulation, the most comfortable you’ll be even as the temperatures outside soar off the charts. Have a home energy audit today to make sure your home insulation is up to snuff.