Are you struggling to keep your home cool this summer? Maybe the ground level of your home is fine, but your second floor is always too hot? This is actually a common home comfort issue that we see around Putnam County that’s caused by what building scientists refer to as the stack effect.
Simply put, the stack effect is when leaks in your home’s attic and foundation cause differences in air pressure that force air out of your home, replacing it with air from outside. It may come as a surprise, but adding attic insulation—and pairing it with air sealing—can negate the stack effect and help you get your comfort back.
The Problem with Under-Insulated Attics
Your attic is a crucial part of your home’s building envelope, meaning the physical separation between the outdoors and your living spaces. Insulating your attic—along with the rest of your building envelope—can prevent the stack effect and other issues, like:
High energy bills - Since conditioned air can easily escape your home throughout the year, you’ll end up paying the price—no matter how efficient your HVAC system is.
Unnecessary wear and tear on your HVAC system - Since your HVAC system will need to run more in order to make up for energy loss, you run the risk of breakdowns, expensive repairs, and a shorter lifespan for your system.
Poor indoor air quality - Unprotected areas of your building envelope allow moisture, mold, and pests to freely enter your home, all of which can be damaging to your health.
Uncomfortable rooms & uneven temperatures - Since your home will have a harder time retaining conditioned air, you’ll find it harder to get comfortable any time of the year.
Even if your attic already has insulation, if you’re experiencing any of these issues in your home, there’s a good chance that it’s not performing as well as it should. If moisture has gone into your attic through gaps and cracks, your attic insulation could be moldy and cause further air quality issues. In these cases, attic insulation replacement is the best place to start.
How Attic Insulation Works to Keep You Cool
Insulation works similarly to a down jacket and creates a barrier that prevents the transfer of heat in and out of your home’s living spaces. It’s actually a common misconception that insulation is only beneficial in the winter: It can keep the cool air inside throughout the summer in the exact same way it holds in the heat during the colder months.
The benefits of insulation are optimized when combined with air sealing, and we always recommend both services for high-performance and healthy homes. While insulation prevents heat transfer, sealing the gaps and cracks that are commonly found in attics makes it harder for unwanted airflow, moisture, and pests to enter your home.
When insulating and air sealing your home, proper installation and ventilation are the key to ensuring it is both effective and efficient. At Healthy Home Energy and Consulting, our team holds several certifications that give us the knowledge and experience necessary for professional attic insulation installation.
Start Your Journey to a More Comfortable Home with a Healthy Home Evaluation
We recommend starting every home performance upgrade with a solid understanding of where it has inefficiencies. A Healthy Home Evaluation by our team can pinpoint exactly where your home is losing energy and find the source of your comfort issues.
Healthy Home Evaluations allow us to get a baseline of how your home is currently performing. Using specialized tools like an infrared camera and blower door test, we can determine the level of insulation in your attic and find areas of air leakage. We’ll also inspect the other components of your whole home system, including:
Are you ready to get started and turn your house into an energy-efficient Healthy Home? Reach out to the expert team at Healthy Home Energy and Consulting!
Schedule your healthy home evaluation today and get your comfort back. Call 914-242-9733 or contact us online.
