Attic Insulation Batts Vs Blown

When insulating an attic space many homeowners ask us which is better blown in or batt insulation.

Attic insulation batts vs blown.

Blown in insulation requires a professional. Disadvantages of batt insulation. The answer is it depends. Fiberglass insulation is available in blown in form and so is cellulose which is referred to as loose fill cellulose.

Both blown in and batt roll insulation can be installed in different areas of a home including the attic and the walls. Attic insulation is accomplished with either fiberglass blankets batt or blown in insulation. We use both blown in and batt insulation depending on the situation at hand. Compared to blown in insulation batts can reach a resistance rating r factor of over 3 1.

While the manufacturer will state the actual r value of the insulation that you use according to the department of energy you can expect an r value range between 2 9 and 3 8 per inch of thickness for standard fiberglass batts and between 3 7 and 4 3 for high performance fiberglass batts. Batt insulation take time to read this column. You d need a thickness of. Blown in varieties however typically reach a peak of around a 2 8 r factor.

Any existing batt or roll insulation in the attic should have the facing against the attic drywall floor or no facing at all. Batts you must also examine the r values. Batt or rolled insulation or blown loose fill insulation fiberglass or cellulose can be installed on top of old insulation. When a home is fully finished the scales of batt vs.

When blown into attics and wall spaces loose fill fiberglass offers an average r 2 5 thermal value per inch the higher the number the greater the insulating effect. Batt insulation is available at home centers and lumberyards. You can hire a contractor carrying relevant business insurance and using skilled and trained workers to install your batt insulation much more quickly than a batt insulation install might take. I don t know about that but it s a common insulation material that works much better in the blown form than in batts.

Before choosing blown vs. When comparing blown in insulation vs. The photo above shows an attic insulated with blown cellulose. Blown in insulation clearly lean toward using blown in insulation.

Depending on the material of the insulation the installation method may vary slightly. The maximum rating of batt insulation is around 4 2. Current energy standards recommend the installation of a first layer of craft faced moisture barrier fiberglass batt. In short there is less chance of error with blown insulation as compared to batts.

That s because blown insulation is great at filling the gaps and giving you a good complete layer of insulation. Notice how you don t see any of the ceiling framing down at the ceiling level.