Tampa Bay and the Gulf somewhat moderate temperature extremes in our area. Nonetheless, average summer temperatures hover between the mid-80s and the mid-90s for six months every year. Our winter lows drop below freezing every couple of years, and, for inland communities, temperature ranges can be even greater. Our weather is a year-round challenge, and every Florida home needs to have sufficient attic insulation to ensure maximum efficiency in dealing with it.
Benefits
The attic provides homeowners with a significant energy-saving opportunity. During the cooling season, direct sunlight and latent atmospheric heat can elevate loft temperatures to 150 degrees and above. Some of this heat transfers into your living space, so the air conditioner has to work both longer and harder to maintain its set temperature. Your equipment is subject to accelerated wear-and-tear, and your utility bills increase.
Through the colder months, when you’re heating your home, that heat rises. Rather than being held indoors, where you want it, it can escape through an inadequately insulated attic.
By adding insulation, you can maintain the desired year-round temperature throughout your home with greater accuracy, for less outlay. Cooling bills are reduced in summer, and heating bills moderated in winter.
Choice of Insulation
The best type of insulation for a job is determined by its placing, and by obstructions (or lack thereof). Rolls and batts – blankets of mineral fibers – are best suited for placement between attic floor joists, and are manufactured in sizes to suit all standard spacing. If the attic is home to a number of impediments to access, such as your HVAC equipment and ducting, or if its voids and cavities are odd shapes, blown-in loose-fill insulation pellets will conform more easily.
When to Call a Pro
Insulating an attic is a large project to undertake, even for an expert do-it-yourselfer. Further, specialist equipment is required to install loose-fill insulation. If you don’t have a great deal of free time (and patience), or need to use blown-in material, it’s time to call a pro. For more advice on attic insulation across the entire Tampa, St Petersburg and Clearwater area, please contact us at Senica Air Conditioning, Inc. today.
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