Feel Great Indoors: How Insulation Keeps the Temperature Cool

Just like any other component that makes a house, there's more to roofing than meets the eye. Beneath those gritty asphalt roofing shingles is a complex structure that helps support the roof material as it keeps the rain, snow, and wind out. One of these devices is the insulation.

What insulation actually does is slow down and reduce heat loss, so it keeps the heat or cold leaking out of the house when you have the heating or the AC unit on. Insulation is measured in R-value – the higher the value, the better the material's insulative property is. However, insulation isn't just about the R-value,as there are other things you need to consider like toxicity, fire resistance, and density.

Insulation comes in different types, but the common ones include fiberglass batts, loose-fill cellulose insulation, and foam batts. Other types include sheep's wool, soy insulation, and even denim insulation.

Each material is installed in a particular way. For instance, batt-type insulation is usually manufactured into blankets or sheets that are rolled over the attic. These are pre-cut sheets, so if your attic has an odd shape, you may have a hard time putting these on. Loose-fill insulation, on the other hand, are blown with an air compressor around the attic. These can be applied on virtually any attic of any shape, including those with very small spaces.