I finally tested my attic insulation R-value myself

I borrowed a thermal camera from the Amarillo library last week and found out my attic only had R-19, not the R-38 the house inspector claimed back in 2019. Spent $140 on six rolls of fiberglass from Lowe's and my upstairs bedrooms are already 8 degrees cooler by noon. Anybody else get surprised by what their insulation actually is?

3 comments

3 Comments

baker.holly1mo ago

Those library thermal cameras are a game changer... I did the same thing last spring and found out my attic had R-13 in some spots. The previous owners must have just thrown batts in there randomly. I ended up renting a blown-in machine from Home Depot for like forty bucks and piled it on top of everything. My electric bill dropped thirty bucks a month that summer and the upstairs stopped feeling like a sauna by 2pm. Biggest difference was my master bedroom closet though, it used to be hot enough to warp my vinyl records and now it stays cool all day.

ivan_murphy801mo ago

Nah, I think sealed ductwork matters way more than just piling on more insulation.

pat7811mo ago

You're making it sound like sealed ductwork is some kind of magic fix for everything. I get that leaks waste energy, but people act like it's the end of the world if a little air escapes. My house is older and the ducts aren't perfect, but I still see a big drop in my bills just by adding insulation in the attic. Not everyone needs to go full pro on sealing every joint. If one room gets too hot, that's what a window unit is for.