Insulating Your Attic For Improved HVAC Efficiency

Posted on: 2 August 2017

When you have heating and/or cooling ducts running through your attic, you need to take steps to make sure that your ducts are not exposed to the outside temperature. While the temperature in your attic might not affect the temperature inside your home, it can affect the efficiency of your heating and cooling equipment. 

The Problems Presented by an Uninsulated Attic

When your attic heats up during the summer, it can heat up your AC ducts, and as cool air from your AC flows through heated ducts, the ducts will warm the air flowing through them. While the air will eventually cool the ducts, you will lose some efficiency because the air heated by your ducts will take longer to cool your home back down. The reverse is true during the winter when the outside air will cool the ducts, which will then cool the heated air flowing through them. Thus, in order to boost AC efficiency, it is necessary to take steps to isolate your ducts from the outside air. 

Insulating Your Attic

One option is to insulate your attic. This is a good idea whether you have ducts running through your attic or not because the insulation will help to prevent heat gain during the summer and heat loss through your attic during the winter. The longer it takes for your home to heat up during the summer, the less your AC has to run, and the more heat your home retains during the winter, the less your furnace has to run. You should make sure that whatever insulation you place in your attic extends around your heating and cooling ducts, for if your ducts extend beyond the insulation, they can still be affected by outside temperatures.

Insulating Ducts

A second option is to insulate the ducts themselves. If you have ducts that run on top of your roof joists, you don't want to pile up insulation until it covers the ducts because it would be a waste of time, money, and effort. Instead, you want to wrap the ducts with batts of insulation. This is true whether you already have good insulation in your attic, or you need to add to your attic insulation. 

By taking steps to improve your home's insulation envelope, you can effectively isolate the interior of your home from outside temperatures. You just need to make sure that you also insulate your ducts, for if they run outside your home's insulation envelope, you can still lose AC efficiency.

Contact a company like Leon Muenks Insulation LLC for more information and assistance. 

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