Florida Attic Insulation R Value

The r value your home s attic needs depends on where you live.

Florida attic insulation r value.

R values given in table 402 1 1 frame walls r 13 block walls interior insulation r 7 8 exterior insulation r 6 ceilings. Climate zone 1 consists of the following south florida counties. The florida building code identifies two distinct climate zones. Recommended insulation levels for retrofitting existing wood framed buildings.

You can see on home depot s website how many inches translates to a certain r value. Achieving greater r values in exterior walls. Existing 3 4 inches of insulation. Ceiling insulation must be much higher at r 30 and a raised floor must be at least r 13.

Energy star s map of recommended home insulation shows that the majority of florida is within zone 2. Depending on where you live and the part of your home you re insulating walls crawlspace attic etc you ll need a different r value. That translates to about 12 inches of insulation. Broward collier hendry lee miami dade monroe and palm beach and require a minimum r 30 attic insulation.

For block walls interior insulation must meet or exceed r 7 8 and exterior insulation must be r 6. Must be inside conditioned space tested to q n 0 03 by a class 1 bers. Different materials respond to weather conditions differently. Framed wall insulation must meet or exceed r 13.

The higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation. Raised r 13 sog r 0 windows. Maximum 20 of conditioned floor area. What r value is best for my home.

Foam insulation r values range from r 4 to r 6 5 per inch of thickness 2 54 cm which is up to 2 times greater than most other insulating materials of the same thickness. Typically current best home building practices indicate an r 30 to r 38 for attic insulation. Energystar recommends an r value of r 38 for most homes. Yes generally a higher r value means a more effective insulator but the highest r value possible may not be necessarily right for your project.

You can achieve better thermal performance in your attic by adding an additional layer of insulation. This zone has a recommended r value of 30 to 60 for an uninsulated attic r25 to r38 for an attic with existing insulation and r13 to r19 for the floor. Foam in place insulation can be injected into walls to reduce air leakage and improve r value. Typical recommendations for exterior walls are r 13 to r 23 while r 30 r 38 and r 49 are common for ceilings and attic spaces.

Blown fiberglass installed in the attic has an r value of 2 2 per inch so 12 inches of it would give you an r value of 26 4 in your attic installation project.