- Climate zone
- 1A, Palm Beach and Broward
- Code ceiling
- R-30 prescriptive
- Our blown-in standard
- R-38
- What insulation is not
- An air seal
Three ways heat moves
Heat moves by conduction, by moving air, and by radiation. Insulation is for conduction. A fiberglass batt with a hole at the top plate does almost nothing about the air pouring through that hole. The air goes around the insulation.
Radiation is the hot roof deck warming everything under it. A vented attic is supposed to let that heat out through the ridge and the soffits. Insulation on the attic floor is what keeps the rooms below from taking that heat.
Air leakage is the third path, and in a lot of these houses it is the one that was never done. That is why every blown-in job here starts with sealing, not with a hose.
What the Florida code actually requires
Palm Beach County and Broward County are Climate Zone 1A in the 2023 Florida Building Code. Table R402.1.2 sets the prescriptive ceiling minimum at R-30. Cardinal's blown-in attic standard is R-38. R-38 is above that minimum. It is not a different code, and it is not a bid.
The same table allows a ceiling U-factor of 0.035 in Zone 1 instead of a listed R-value. R-30 of continuous insulation is about that U-factor. A thin, uneven blow does not get there just because someone said R-30.
Hatches and pull-down stairs are part of the ceiling. The energy code expects them weatherstripped and insulated to the same level as the ceiling around them. An uninsulated plywood hatch is a hole the size of a person.
Ducts in the attic are a separate requirement. Supply ducts in an attic are insulated to at least R-8. Insulating the attic floor does not put those ducts inside the house. They still sit in the hot attic unless the roof deck is insulated and the vents are closed.
Which job is which
Blown-in insulation is the attic-floor job on a vented attic. Fiberglass or cellulose, after the leaks are sealed, to an even R-38.
Spray foam is the roof-deck job. It is how a bonus room or a hot roof moves inside the conditioned house. It is not a substitute we swap in for a top-up.
Removal is for fill that is wet, moldy, or full of rodent mess. Dry, thin fill stays and gets topped. Attic sanitizing is the treatment of the deck after a contaminated removal. It is not mold remediation for the rooms downstairs.
What we will not claim
Insulation does not fix a roof leak, a disconnected duct, or an air conditioner that is too small. It does not guarantee a dollar amount off the FPL bill. Houses with ducts in the attic still lose energy at the ducts.
A whole-house blower door number, 7 air changes per hour at 50 pascals in Zone 1, is a test of the entire house. An attic insulation job is not that test. We seal the attic plane. We do not hand you an ACH50 certificate unless a blower door was actually run.