Attic insulation in Norman OK - an attic that keeps the upstairs comfortable

Measure what's already up there and compare it with ENERGY STAR's recommended level for your climate zone, which is higher for an attic that starts out bare than for one that already has some. The difference is what you add. Steep sections are the exception, since most insulation makers advise against loose fill on a roof that rises more than four inches for every foot it runs, so those spots get batts instead.

It's worth the most in an attic with little or no insulation, where a radiant barrier can cut the heat coming into the house from the attic by about 40%. That isn't 40% off your bill, it usually works out to 8% to 12% of a year's cooling costs. In an attic already at R-30 or better, a rating for how well insulation slows heat, there's very little heat left for it to stop, though it can still help when your heating and cooling ducts run up there, because it keeps them cooler in summer.

Around the Oklahoma City area, insulation jobs usually run about $1,300 to $4,500 each, and that range takes in every kind of insulation work, not only attics. Where your attic lands comes down to what I mentioned up top, mainly its size, what's already there and how much has to come out or get sealed first. After I've looked, you get a written figure for your house.

On the city's Development Services page, which holds building permit information and residential construction applications. Its permit list names things like garage sale and sign permits but doesn't mention attic insulation, so that's the office to ask about your job. Rules differ from city to city, so we check with the city before work starts, and if a permit is needed, we pull it or walk you through getting one. We're licensed and insured.

Seal the gaps first, because one loose-fill fiberglass maker's instructions say air sealing has to be finished before the insulation goes in for it to perform fully. Oklahoma's weatherization field guide also calls for checking for live knob and tube wiring, the old wire run on porcelain posts, and damming it off when possible or replacing it, and for running exhaust fan ducts outside and insulating them. If a unit with a drip pan sits up there, the pan gets a thorough cleaning so no insulation ends up in the drain line and causes an overflow.

Only if the lights are rated IC, which marks them as built to have insulation against them. Lights without that rating need a shield that keeps the insulation clear of the fixture. If you don't know which kind you have, ask, and I'll check when I'm up there.