Attics and Roofs
This section discusses:
Functions
of the attic and roof areas of your home
 The
"roofs" of most homes built in Manitoba consist of a ceiling assembly,
an attic, and a roof. They must not only resist the inward penetration of moisture
from rain and snow, but also deal with potential ice dams on their perimeter,
limit heat loss, attic frost build up in winter, and attic heat build up in summer.
Proper insulation and control of air leakage and moisture are essential to insure
a high performance, trouble free roof over your head.
Why
you should be concerned over the amount of insulation installed, the quality of
the air barrier and other important details
In a typical Manitoba winter
when outside temperatures can sink down to - 30F and interior temperatures are
kept at +70F, the attic assemble must be designed to handle a 100 degree temperature
difference across its assembly.
Roofs have traditionally
been the most heavily insulated part of the house. Contrary to popular belief,
this is not because "heat rises and roofs loose the most heat", it is
simply due to the fact that additional insulation can be very cost effectively
added to an attic. As we are not constrained by the size of cavity to be insulated
as we are with walls, it is almost as easy to install insulation to levels of
R-40, R-50, or even R-60 in attics as it is for a level of R-20. That is why greater
insulation levels have become the accepted practice.
The most popular method of
insulating attics is to blow in loose fill insulation. To install R-40 (code minimum
for gas heated homes in southern Manitoba), you have to pay for:
- an insulation truck to
drive to your home and set up
- the installer to drag a
hose up into your attic
- the installer to pump and
place approximately 12 inches of insulation
At this point in time, the
cost to install additional insulation only involves paying for the installer to
spend a few additional minutes in each area of the attic to apply more product
and the cost of that extra product. For a typical 1,600 square foot bungalow,
the up-charge to go from R-40 to R-50 is only a couple of hundred dollars and
will end up netting a savings of about $50 a year - a sound investment. Never
in the life of the home will you be able to upgrade your attic insulation so cost
effectively.
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