Even the best heating and cooling system is gonna struggle to keep your home cozy if you don’t have the right insulation! But there are so many different types of insulation out there… how can you know which is the best type for your home?
Check out Morris-Jenkins’s blog post below for all things attic insulation!
The Different Types of Attic Insulation
People usually assume their home temperature issues are because of a faulty furnace or air conditioner. They rarely think the problem has to do with their insulation. Sometimes, the problem is the type of attic insulation. Other times, it’s just that you don’t have enough insulation. Not sure what types of attic insulation there are or what makes some better than others? We’re here to clear up all your insulation questions!
Comfort Cloud by Morris-Jenkins
Comfort Cloud by Morris-Jenkins saves you money on your utility bills by making your heating and cooling system run more efficiently. High quality insulation like Comfort Cloud keeps the outside temperature outside and the inside temperature inside! Your HVAC equipment won’t have to run as often to regulate temperatures in your home, and that not only saves you money on monthly bills, but also helps your system live longer.
Comfort Cloud by Morris-Jenkins is a permanent investment in your home. It isn’t something you’ll ever have to do again! It keeps its form and depth, which will always keep your home comfortable.
Blown Insulation
Blown insulation is a great way to insulate your home. It’s made of fiberglass, which is a great material for insulating your home. When you call Morris-Jenkins out for new insulation, this is what we use. One of our experts will lead a tube from our machine outside to your attic. This tube allows us to blow insulation directly into your attic, filling in all the nooks and crannies until you’ve got a nice, thick layer of fluffy insulation!
Instead of manually placing insulation and leaving gaps, using material that’s not good for your family, or risking problems detecting roof leaks one day, blown fiberglass insulation keeps your family comfortable without any of the risks or complications.
Spray Foam Insulation
Spray foam insulation is essentially a sprayable plastic full of glue and chemicals. When you spray it, the foam expands to cover cracks and gaps in your attic. The thought is that this will prevent heat or cooled air from escaping your home. It’s a less common choice for insulating attics, and for good reason.
This method is a bad idea! Not only is it flammable, it’s also full of chemicals like formaldehyde that you don’t want in your family’s home. But that’s not where the bad news ends! Spray foam insulation also makes it hard to see problems with your roof.
When you use spray foam insulation, you’re adding it to the roof deck—this is where you’d spot any leaks or damage in your roof. With spray foam concealing your view of all that, you could have a roof leak and not know until it’s too late. And when it comes time to get a new roof, it’s gonna be really hard to do with the spray foam stuck to the wood ceiling joists. Overall, we recommend avoiding spray foam insulation!
Spray Foam Vs. Blown Insulation
Spray foam insulation has to be manually sprayed anywhere you want it. It’s a tedious way to insulate an attic! Instead, you can have Morris-Jenkins come out and blow in insulation. You can kick your feet up and relax, and we’ll get your attic insulated in a matter of just a couple hours! Not only that, but the blown insulation isn’t gonna put nasty chemicals in your home like spray foam will, it won’t hide any future roof leaks, and it’ll do a much better job insulating your home than the spray foam.
Cellulose Insulation
Cellulose insulation is made of ground-up newspaper or other recycled paper products that are then sprayed with fire retardant. At first, this type of attic insulation is fine. However, just like your favorite pillow that flattens over time, cellulose insulation also falls flat. The material is heavy, and it doesn’t stay thick and fluffy like it should. Before you know it, you suddenly have way thinner insulation than you should.
We see this kind of attic insulation all the time around the greater Charlotte area. Because it’s cheap, it’s a go-to for a lot of builders. Unfortunately, this type of attic insulation just doesn’t last!
Cellulose Insulation Vs. Blown Insulation
Cellulose insulation works in the short term, but blown insulation lasts forever! Over time, cellulose insulation flattens, leaving you with an ineffective, thin layer of shredded paper as insulation. Meanwhile, blown insulation is made of fiberglass, which stays thick and fluffy. You’ll have to replace/add to cellulose insulation, but you’ll never have to replace or add to blown insulation!
Roll Insulation
A lot of the time, when someone wants to put in their own insulation, they buy roll insulation, also called insulation batts. It’s made out of fiberglass, which is a great way to trap heat or cool air in your home! However, installing insulation batts can have a couple of downsides:
- You have to install it by hand. Not only is that a lot of work, but that pink, cotton-candy fluff is REALLY itchy!
- It leaves gaps/seams in coverage. Because it gets installed in pieces laid one next to another, there are gonna be gaps between the batts. It’s still a decent barrier, but it isn’t complete coverage.
We use roll insulation when we’re insulating floors from a crawlspace because it’s the best option to fit in a crawlspace. However, this isn’t the best attic insulation type.
Roll Insulation Vs. Blown Insulation
While both of these types of attic insulation are made out of fiberglass and do a great job keeping your home comfortable, roll insulation is gonna leave gaps/seams in coverage. This means it’s not as efficient at insulating as blown insulation in your attic.
Radiant Barrier Insulation
A radiant barrier—also known as a radiant heat shield—uses sheets of a highly reflective material to reflect radiant heat. This kind of insulation looks a lot like someone stapled aluminum foil all throughout their attic! It’s not useful (there’s actually no proof that it prevents uneven temperatures throughout the home). Not only that, but because it covers your view of the underside of your roof, it’s just about impossible to tell if you have a leak before it’s too late. This attic insulation type is a waste of your time and money!
Radiant Barrier Vs. Blown Insulation
There’s nothing similar between these two types of attic insulation! When someone asks us the difference between radiant barrier vs blown insulation, we make sure to let them know radiant heat shields are only gonna cause them problems. They don’t even insulate anything! Blown insulation, on the other hand, is a great way to keep your Charlotte home comfy (and energy efficient!).
Why’s it So Important to have the Right Type of Insulation in Charlotte?
Your home’s energy efficiency is largely determined by the amount and type of insulation in the house. When your insulation isn’t up to the task, heat can easily move in and out of your home. In the summer, that means hot, humid air from your attic seeps down into your living spaces, making your air conditioner work overtime.
In the winter, all that cozy, heated air you’ve paid for escapes right through the attic. That constant heat transfer doesn’t just make your home less comfortable, it also drives your energy bills through the roof. Proper insulation acts like a barrier, keeping the heat where it belongs so your HVAC system doesn’t have to run as hard to keep you comfortable.
Over time, that can mean cutting down on higher energy bills, scheduling fewer HVAC repairs, and enjoying a more consistent temperature throughout your home.
So, What’s the Best Type of Attic Insulation in Charlotte, NC?
Every home is different, and so are its insulation needs! The best way to find out what the best type of attic insulation is for your home is through a professional assessment.
At Morris-Jenkins, we’ve got a team of trained technicians ready to help you install the best attic insulation for your home. We’re thorough, and we’ll make sure your home is getting the comfort and energy savings you deserve.
When you call Morris-Jenkins, we’ll start by inspecting your attic to see what kind of insulation you already have and how well it’s holding up. From there, we’ll help you choose the best option to keep your home comfortable year-round.
Choose Morris-Jenkins for Attic Insulation Services in Charlotte
Ready to add to your existing insulation? What about installing attic insulation for the very first time? Either way, our team at Morris-Jenkins has you covered!
We’ll help you figure out exactly what your home needs to stay comfortable and efficient all year long. No matter the insulation material or type, we’re here to make sure your home has just the right amount of insulation.
You’re searching for year-round comfort, and we’re here to make sure you get it! Does your home need new insulation? Give us a call or contact us online today!
