Roof insulation might appear to be the lowest priority home improvement jobs for your house, but choosing and installing the right insulation material is key to saving energy, time and money!
Alongside attic insulation, it’s also very important to consider roof ventilation, to ensure that your roof ‘works’ properly and isn’t storing up major problems for the structure of your home due to damp or mildew.
And these two components work together: without proper roof insulation, your roof ventilation will suffer in a major way.
Attic insulation and ventilation
Every loft or attic needs to dissipate heat and moisture quickly and efficiently. Proper roof ventilation goes a long way but the attic insulation makes all the difference. A constant free flow of fresh air moving from the bottom and out the top of your attic is the absolute key to promoting the effectiveness of your home’s roof insulation. If you don’t have good ventilation the insulation material will become damp and lose most of its insulating properties.
You should ensure that your loft includes good soffit and ridge ventilation so that air can enter and leave the attic space, taking any moisture with it. This air flow will optimize the condition of your attic and help the roof insulation do its job.
Loft insulation materials
In this website, I’ve covered the various options for materials you can use for attic insulation. Here’s a quick summary of what’s available:
- Fiberglass loft insulation – used by most homeowners to insulate their house. It works both to retain heat in the winter and keep your house cool in the hotter summer months. But the main issue is that it is created using formaldehyde (a dangerous carcinogenic substance) and particularly dangerous if inhaled. If you’re wearing protective clothing and the fiberglass is used carefully, it can be ok – but you need to take care.
- Soy insulation – an environmentally-friendly way of insulating your roof space. It’s normally sprayed on top of your home and left to dry, forming a sealant that adds an extra layer of protection to your roof. But care needs to be taken to ensure there’s adequate ventilation within the attic space.
- Recycled cellulose fibers – another environmentally-friendly loft insulation method made out of used paper products that also helps reduce noise.
- Spray foam – chemical foam that is sprayed often onto the inside of the roofing material; it can be expensive but seals your roof cavity and is efficient.
- Sheep’s wool – a relatively expensive solution, but with many benefits including being eco-friendly, naturally fire-resistant, damp-proof and with few problems in handling.
- Cellular glass – a very durable solution that has good fire-retardant qualities
- Radiant barrier foil or paint – an additional barrier layer that works with any of the materials above.
No matter what loft insulation solutions you use, find out how best to apply the material in the rest of this site.