Recommended Insulation R-Values for NY and the Northeast

In this video John speaks about optimal insulation practices and recommended R-Values for different areas of a home in New York.

In the Northeast, winters can get very cold, and summers are usually hot and humid. For these reasons, John recommends at least an R-60 insulation value in the attic – the most important area of the house when it comes to energy performance. This R-value will prevent substantial heat gains during the summer and heat losses during the winter. John also recommends blown cellulose is the material of choice because of its density, moisture control and fire resistance capabilities.

For walls, if there is enough space in the wall cavity to add dense-pack cellulose up to an R-Value of 21. Older homes however, with 2x4 walls don’t have enough space, so an R-14 insulation is the maximum R-value that can be packed into the existing wall cavity without any substantial retrofits to the home.

For floors (like the ceiling of a crawl space or basement), the recommended R-Values range between R-30 and R-38. In these cases, we tend to use closed cell spray foam because it helps mitigate moisture and air seal. Fiberglass is not a good choice for these applications because it absorbs moisture and tends to sag and fall apart.

We service Hudson to Kingston and Highland to Saugerties.