You can use products like radiant barrier on the underside of the roof spray foam or even good old fashioned batts of rock wool denim or fiberglass.
Best way to insulate attic in hot climate.
A machine blows loose fill into the spaces filling each corner in the wall and floors to apply in every corner.
One of the best things you can do is to move the attic insulation so that the air conditioning ducts are inside the insulated envelope.
Hope the middle climate zones are tough because you have to split the difference between insulation techniques.
Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old.
Best insulation for hot climates 1.
Radiant barrier is a great option for hot climates as it doesn t try to slow the heat from passing.
Reverse stack effect in hot weather will create a highway of hot air from your attic into the house especially the upstairs.
But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates.
I discuss the different types of insulation you can choose and how to decide on the right one in a previous post.
The spaces where you can t reach to insulate properly loose fill can easily reach.
It is a great option for attic walls and floors.
While just adding more insulation to the building doesn t necessarily get great improvements in efficiency adding insulation to the right locations does.
Common practice in some areas still has it pegged at r 19.
This is actually consistent with energy star recommendations see table.
Spray foam insulation is by far the best type of insulation for hot climates as it has.
Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor.
Radiant barrier a radiant barrier is a material used in conjunction with attic insulation to reflect radiant heat at the surface and increase the efficiency of attic insulation.
Check out my other post insulation for a hot climate for some ideas for the other side of the coin.
The most important factor to consider in a warmer climate is the addition of a radiant barrier to whichever type of insulation you select.
The opposite happens in cold weather thus your improved temperature balance in winter.
And yet for example our fresno calif franchise abc cooling routinely insulates attics from r 50 to r 60 in home retrofits.