Hello to all,

It is already mid 90's in TX and a heat index of 107... i am ready for winter again.

I am all for better energy efficiency to help reduce AC usage. All of our attic insulation is sprayed in and the pitches/rafters inside the attic vary from flat to 45 degrees. Sq ft is 4414, composition roof, 2-3 attic turbines, no ridge-vents, stucco siding, hardy board soffit with air holes, roof pitches are 30-35 degrees, frt house faces east in morning, back west in the frying afternoon, one fire place. All double pain glass/windows...two 5-ton carrier units in attic...house finished in Dec 2005, bought house in 2008. No heat-shield products in attic/on roof. Anything else?

Wanted to get your take if spraying in more insulation would be beneficial? I am open to all suggestions to make the house cooler, w/ less energy and effort.

As always, I appreciate your experience and feedback.

Thank you very much,
tstex

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tstex,

You should also be aware that some companies sell roof paint. Yes, to paint your shingled roof white, and thereby reflect more light. The down side is that it's those roof granules that give you good traction on a sloped shingle roof in the rain (or snow), and if you paint over them, you have to be real careful about when you go up on your roof.

If it wuz me, I would leave the roof shingles as they are, and add more attic insulation. Since heat rises, the attic is one place you don't want to skimp on insulation.

Insulation pretty much follows the rule of: More is better. As long as you are not blocking airflow from soffits to your turbine vents, adding more insulation can only help lower your heating and cooling costs.

Another area that can help is to plant trees that can shade the sunny side of your house - provided you have lots of exposed west facing wall area. Just keeping direct sunshine off the house walls can make a huge difference in cooling costs. If you use trees that loose their leaves in the winter, then you still get the benefits of sunshine in the winter when it's colder.

quote:

It is already mid 90's in TX and a heat index of 107

Something is happening.

When I was a kid, it wasn't uncommon for us to have -40 deg. F as a DAYTIME HIGH in the winter here in Winnipeg. An, the coldest I ever personally experienced was -52 deg. F.

Now, we seldom get below -20 deg. F in the winter. And, June has just started and it's already as hot and humid as August is. I can't say I dread global warming cuz bitingly cold winters have always been something to dread even more here, but something seems to be happening to the weather. Our winters are getting shorter and warmer and our summers are getting longer and hotter.

I pity the polar bears because they hunt by clawing holes in the ice and waiting patiently for seals to pop up through those holes to breathe. Were it not for that method of catching seals, polar bears will starve. And, as the winters get shorter and warmer, there's less and less ice in the Arctic.

And, from what I understand, the frequency and strength of tornados and hurricanes in the US is expected to increase with global warming too.

Regarding the insulation that is sprayed-in, is there a certain type of either get or avoid? I have heard some have formaldehyde in them?? Also, is there an industry cost/unit or range that is acceptable?

Next, is this a DIY or should I hire? If the latter, anything I should make sure the comp does or does not do? Also, we are talking spraying in the loose insulation and not foam, correct?

Finally, I do believe it is getting hotter and the earth cycles hotter and colder...sure wish it was getting colder...

Thanks,
tstex

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tstex,

Spray insulation is the foam - goes on as a gooey liquid and hardens. This is for professional installation only.

Blown-in is the loose stuff. Definitely a DIY type job. Most places that sell blown-in insulation will rent the blower. If you buy enough product, the blower is free. Install is fairly easy depending on how much attic access you have. Best to use two people - one to be in the attic with the hose and one keeping the blower 'fed' with bags of insulation. With the blower, you can do a fair sized house in under an hour.

Edit to add: Did you get the pool finished?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jaybee,

somehow they lost my profile, so bet this comes up as post #1. nonsense....

didn't see anything about baffles from the soffit through the insulation into the attic. there should be vent pans to insure less-hot air from outside actually gets over the insulation to force the hot-hot air out the roof vents.

typically they're plastic foam and staple on under the roof deck inside. from an opening into the vented soffit up above the insulation is about the right length. in my Minnesota house, they are every installed every third truss.

I am going with the blown in type, buy there are many kinds...white, fiber glass is preferred, but 5-6 diff varieties...any strong recommendations of one over another?

the OLA/Pool is in final stages of drawings...taking a long time

We do have baffles, will keep airflow from soffits to turbines clear open...

thank you very much,
tstex