by Suzy Banks
Insulation in Grey
and Blue
Dear Suzy,
Now that summer is over and coolness is no longer an abstract concept,
perhaps you could speak on the subject of insulation. In my homeland in The
Great White North we insulated the hell out of everything: the dog didn’t go
outside without 6″ of fiberglass, and that was in the summer. Down here,
however, it seems like no one really bothers with it; double-paned windows are
unheard of, and wall insulation seems to consist of drywall. So what is the
recommended amount of insulation to keep your air conditioning bill reasonable
in Texas? And which kind do you recommend? Standard fiberglass, the itch-free
stuff, or some alternative? Lastly, what does that mysterious “R” in “R24”
stand for anyway?
Don’t say I never write,
Scott R.
Dear Scott,
You’re not one of those Yankee types that moves down here and proceeds to tell
us Texans that we don’t know how to build, dress our dogs, barbecue, or drive
in the snow, are you? I’m going to pretend like you aren’t or else I wouldn’t
be able to answer your question and seeing that it’s the only question
that I’ve gotten in about 100 years — Yankee or otherwise — self-deceit is
self-preservation in this case.
All home insulation shares one common feature: they are light for their bulk
— fluffy or foamy. This is because they are laced with tiny pockets of air.
It’s actually these pockets of air, not the material wrapped around them, that
resist the flow of heat in or out of a house. The R-value (you had to ask) is a
measurement of this resistance based on the amount of heat that will pass
through a square foot of material in one hour when the temperature on one side
is one degree higher than on the other. (Gee, won’t you be the life of the next
party when you start spewing this erudite info?)
The attic insulation is the most crucial, not only because that luscious
heated air can rise and escape in the winter, but also because attics build up
that blasted heat in the summer. Recommended minimums for our area are R-30 in
the attic and R-19 in the walls. I think reflective radiant barrier stapled to
the underside of the roof rafters should also be required.
Blown-in cellulose is my insulation of choice. It has a higher R-value that
the itchy stuff, it’s more sound-insulating as well, it’s made from recycled
newspapers, and, when treated with borate, it’s fire-resistant and
bug-deterring. Unfortunately, it’s not a do-it-yourself kind of product, so
you’ll need to look in the yellow pages for an installer. And he might balk at
blowing it on your dog. Unless, of course, he’s a Yankee, too.
Blow a letter my way: Suzebe@aol.com or c/o The Austin
Chronicle, PO Box 49066, Austin, TX 78765.
This article appears in October 27 • 1995 and October 27 • 1995 (Cover).