Blown-in insulation (sometimes called blow in insulation) comes in bags and is loosely filled blotches of fiberglass that insulates your home. It largely resembles the lumps of cotton found inside pillows. It’s called blown-in insulation because it is most commonly blown into an attic through a special insulation blower, which has a long, wide hose that shoots the insulation through your attic like snow. There are three types of insulation options available for your attic: radiant barriers, blown-in insulation, and batt insulation.
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Green Energy of San Antonio also offers attic ventilation solutions to make sure the airflow in your home is installed properly.
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Radiant barrier insulation is the latest in attic insulation technology. Installed right under the roof to the 2×8, the purpose of radiant barrier insulation is to reflect radiant energy which heats up the roof and makes its way into the attic and the rest of the home. This is different from blown-in attic insulation, which can be considered the old way of insulating attics. Think about it this way. Much like a flip phone used to be the latest and greatest technology, smartphones have since moved into being the most efficient way of communicating and the latest and greatest communication technology to have. Similarly, blown-in insulation used to get the job done but now there is a new and improved way of doing insulation — and that is Radiant Barriers. Blown-in insulation only slows down heat transfer. Radiant barrier insulation reflects radiant energy, reflecting up to 97% less heat.
Making the upgrade to radiant barrier attic insulation from blown-in insulation can help you save hundreds of dollars on your energy bills every year. Some studies show that radiant barriers can reduce the cost of cooling a home by up to 35% when used in a warm and sunny climate like San Antonio and the surrounding areas.
Learn more about radiant barrier insulation online so we can help you make the switch from blown-in insulation to radiant barrier attic insulation today!
Offer valid for projects of 1,300 sq ft or more.
Offers may not be combined.
The major difference between radiant barrier insulation and blown-in insulation is that the radiant barrier reflects heat, while blown insulation absorbs it. In a hot area like San Antonio, it’s common for the attics of homes to reach more than 160 degrees Fahrenheit, especially in the warmer months. With radiant barrier insulation, you can expect the attic to be within 20 degrees of the outside temperature. Where an uninsulated attic would easily reach 150-200 degrees or above.
No matter how much blown-in insulation you fill your attic with, the heat in the attic will stay in the attic, absorbed into the insulation. This results in a much hotter attic, and in turn, a hotter home, than when compared to an attic insulated with reflective radiant barriers.
Another reason that radiant barrier insulation is superior to traditional blown-in insulation is the difference in how much it requires to produce the desired result. One sheet of radiant barrier insulation is equivalent to 9 outwards feet of blown-in insulation. That means it would require 9 feet of blown-in insulation, stretching outward from the interior of the roof, to produce the same results as a sheet of radiant barrier insulation covering the same area. Not only does radiant barrier provide more effective insulation than blown-in insulation, but it also saves space in the attic so you can utilize more space for storage or anything else that you’d like to do with your attic.
Looking at the fundamentals, radiant barrier insulation is the future of insulation technology. There’s no question that a radiant barrier is more effective in reducing the heat of an attic and home, as well as saving homeowners money on energy bills. As more homeowners learn about the benefits of radiant barrier insulation, it will become the new standard for insulating attics in San Antonio, just like blown-in insulation was for decades. Want to get ahead of the curve? Reach out to the team at Green Energy of San Antonio to learn more about our radiant barrier attic insulation installation in San Antonio and the surrounding areas.
Foam insulation, particularly spray polyurethane foam (SPF) carries significant risks, including flammability and potential toxic emissions during a fire. Installation of SPF can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), posing health risks such as respiratory problems and eye irritation, as noted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Furthermore, some foam insulations use environmentally harmful blowing agents and are difficult to recycle, posing long-term disposal issues. Given these concerns, alternatives like cellulose and radiant barriers are increasingly preferred for their safety, environmental sustainability, and effectiveness without the health risks associated with foam insulation. At Green Energy, we are dedicated to offering insulation solutions that enhance home comfort while ensuring safety and protecting environmental integrity. Green Energy of San Antonio DOES NOT offer spray polyurethane foam, even though it would be quite profitable. Our team has chosen safety over profit.
R-value is determined by installing the number of bags per 1000 square feet to the desired height in inches when the insulation is settled and at the desired weight, determining the density. Green Energy of SA installs R-30 fiberglass blown insulation, which is 10.25 inches tall throughout your attic, with a weight of no less than .436 pounds per square foot.
The maximum that one bag can cover for R-30 insulation is no more than 65.4 square feet. Insulation is not sold by the inches, it’s sold by the amount of bags it takes to fill your attic up to the specified (R-30) R-value. Basically, the higher the R-value, the better the insulation. The R-30 insulation we use, for example, is better than R-19 insulation.
If a San Antonio insulation installer covers your attic with less than the minimum number of bags it needs, your attic will have a lower insulation R-value, which means you won’t get the same energy savings during the hot Texas summers. At Green Energy of San Antonio, we guarantee a quality job, with R-30 insulation properly installed in your attic.
Check out detailed information on AttiCat insulation here.
Since R-value is used to describe how quickly a product will absorb heat, radiant barriers have no r-value of their own. That’s because radiant barriers do not absorb heat — they reflect heat before it has a chance to make its way into your home. Since there’s no R-value to radiant barrier insulation, does that mean it’s inferior? Quite the opposite, actually: a radiant barrier doesn’t need an R-value as it does not absorb the heat. While traditional insulation is measured on how much heat it can absorb, the radiant barrier does not absorb heat so R-value is unnecessary to measure. When it comes to radiant barriers, R-value is not brought into question since the material reflects heat before it makes its way into your attic, as opposed to traditional insulation which traps heat within your attic.
At Green Energy of San Antonio, we proudly offer top-quality attic insulation services throughout San Antonio and its surrounding areas. Our extensive service area ensures that homeowners across the region can enjoy the energy-saving benefits of properly insulated attics.
From older, historic homes to modern builds, we understand the diverse insulation needs of San Antonio’s neighborhoods. Our team provides customized attic insulation solutions tailored to each home’s structure, helping to improve energy efficiency, reduce heating and cooling costs, and create a more comfortable living environment year-round.
Also known as blow in insulation, blown-in insulation typically comes in bags and is loosely filled with blotches of fiberglass that insulate your home. Its name comes from the fact that it is commonly blown into an attic through a special insulation blower.
Yes, in a sunny climate like San Antonio's, having attic insulation can help save you hundreds of dollars on your annual energy bills. If you're interested in having us check the insulation levels in your attic for free, contact Green Energy of San Antonio. We'll let you know whether your attic is properly insulated or provide you with a free estimate for replacing your existing insulation.
With attic insulation, your San Antonio home will be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. As such, homeowners can expect to save hundreds of dollars on electricity bills per year.
Several reasons make radiant barrier insulation superior to standard blown-in insulation, starting with how these two insulating materials function. Blown-in insulation absorbs and traps heat that makes its way into the attic, while radiant barrier insulation reflects it before it can get into the attic. Since blown-in insulation absorbs heat, it heats up, and that heat remains trapped in the attic. But with radiant barrier insulation, that heat is reflected, resulting in a much cooler attic and home, and lower energy costs as the overall efficiency of your air conditioning system will be improved.
Additionally, it requires less radiant barrier than it does blown-in attic insulation to properly insulate an attic. One sheet of radiant barrier insulation is equivalent to 9 outwards feet of blown-in insulation. With radiant barrier insulation, you can still use your attic for storage, and even living thanks to the reduced temperatures, whereas blown-in insulation takes up a lot of space and still keeps the attic hot.
While it's not always essential to remove existing attic insulation before installing new insulation, certain situations may require complete removal. If the insulation is over 10 years old, has been exposed to excessive moisture, or has allowed pests to infiltrate the attic, removing the insulation may be necessary. This is because blown-in insulation can potentially contain harmful bacteria, mold, mildew, and insect or animal nests. Additionally, old insulation can settle and compact over time, which can negatively impact the effectiveness of new insulation. Green Energy of San Antonio can assist with the removal of old insulation when installing new insulation of either type we offer.
At Green Energy of San Antonio, we install two different types of attic insulation in San Antonio and the surrounding areas: radiant barriers, and blown-in insulation. While these are both excellent choices for insulating your attic, both types of insulation have some advantages over each other. Generally speaking, we recommend radiant barrier insulation for new insulation installs due to the increased effectiveness of radiant barriers in warmer climates like San Antonio when compared to blown-in insulation.
At Green Energy of San Antonio, we use AttiCat Expanding Blown-in fiberglass insulation which does not absorb moisture, and therefore, does not allow for the growth of mold. Learn more about AtticCat Insulation here.
Attic insulation is essential for a variety of reasons, including:
Insulating your attic with either kind of insulation offered by Green Energy of San Antonio offers a number of benefits in terms of comfort and cost-savings.
“Enjoy cooler summers and warmer winters. That’s the GESA promise.”