How Does R-Value Affect Roof Insulation?

Posted on: 23 February 2019

If your roof space isn't insulated at the moment, then it's a no-brainer to get this sorted. A good layer of insulation helps keep heat in your home and cold out. It's not always as easy to choose the type of insulation to use, however. You may look at different materials and they all seem to have viable benefits. To make things easier, you can use R-values to compare different types of insulation. What are these values and why are they useful?

What Are R-Values?

Every roof insulation material comes with an R-value. This value tells you how well a material manages heat flow. It is expressed as a number that tells you how effective the insulation will be.

Some insulation has a general R-value. However, some materials may have three values. The first two give you specific information about the way insulation works in certain conditions, and the third is the overall value as a whole.

So, for example, an insulation product may have an up value, a down value, and a total value. The up value tells you how well the insulation stops heat leaking up out of your home; the down value tells you how the insulation manages heat coming in through your roof. The total value is the sum of the up and down values.

What Do R-Values Tell You?

On a basic level, the total R-value tells you how efficient the insulation is as a whole. This helps you compare products. So, for example, a value of 1 is less effective than a value of 5. Generally, you look for the highest value you can get from an insulation material.

However, the region you live in and its weather conditions may play a part in the insulation you choose. This is where up and down values come into play. For example, if your winters are pretty bad, then you want insulation that has a high up value. This insulation would keep heat in your home more effectively. On the other hand, if you have burning summers, then you want a high down value to keep as much heat out of your home as possible.

If you still aren't sure what kind of insulation to use in your roof space or want advice on choosing the right R-values, talk to your roof insulation contractor. They can talk you through the best options and help you find the right solution.

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