A Homebuyer’s Guide To Attic Insulation

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

So you want to buy a house. Do you know what to look for in terms of energy insulation? 

Pre-existing

Suppose you buy a pre-existing home, age matters. It’s common, especially here in the Plano/Richardson area, to buy a home built before 1980. The problem is that there wasn’t such a thing as energy codes back then! The building was more about aesthetics and functionality, and very little, if any, attention was paid to the attic insulation. 

When you buy an older home, or even if you’re thinking about buying an older home, give us a call! We’ll be happy to come out and look at the house. We can give you a road map of the best way to make your house as energy efficient as possible and bring it up to today’s energy standards. This will keep your older house cooler in the Texas summers, warmer in the cooler months, and lower your electricity bills.

New Construction

But what if you’re buying a new home? Maybe you’re building a house or just purchased a newly-built one. Luckily, most houses built today are up to energy codes and work very well at saving energy. They usually have things like continuous soffit vents or TechShield, which is a type of radiant barrier. Usually, these new homes have 14-18 inches of insulation in the attic. These are all common with new builds today.

The problem is that they’re often under-ventilated from that standpoint. The radiant barrier and insulation keep the heat from getting into your house, but that hot air may be trapped in your attic and unable to be vented out. 

Whether you’re building a new house or buying a pre-existing home, we’ll be happy to assess your attic. Do you know someone in the mark t for a new home? If so, please share this with them.