It can escape into the attic through many leakage points.
Light between attic floor and underside of eaves.
Eaves can define the architectural style of a house as well as be a functional detail.
3 you can see usually a light where floor of the attic meet roof this is the light from soffit fascia area generally you need some ventilation in the roof it takes care of condensation but it must be balanced with thermal insulation so the roof is not letting heat out in this weather is easy to check insulation.
Gaps in the attic or between the lower floors and the attic will let heated or cooled air escape to the great unconditioned outdoors making any insulation you add essentially useless.
If you cannot get a vapor barrier under a floor in the attic you can use vapor barrier paint on the ceilings below.
Find a diagram of common air leaks here here s a quick primer on fixing draft prone spots.
The space between the floor joists and laying them in place with a few inches extra on each side.
Inside your home usually in the attic the eave is the angle where the roof meets the outside wall a good place for insulation as long as it doesn t get into the soffit the underside of the overhang.
The band joist also serves as a soffit dam helping to prevent wind washing of the attic insulation where air entering the soffit vents flows through the attic insulation which can reduce attic insulation r values on extremely cold days or add moisture to the insulation southface and ornl 2000 straube and grin 2010.
Roof space and to dry low levels of condensation that may form on the underside of a roof deck.
The light entering your attic from these areas can be attributed to the vents that are installed under the eaves of your home which you can see if you go outside stand next to one of your home s exterior walls and look up and the vent installed along the ridge of your roof.
Use a staple gun to tack each sheet to the sides of the joists figure 2.
Place planks 1 by 6 or 1 by 8 or plywood sheaths across floor joists to improve your mobility in the attic.
Never step between joists as you may break through the ceiling below.
The attic is one of the primary areas of potential heat loss in your home.
The total r value for loose fiberglass when you see about 6 inches thick of insulation at the floor of the unfinished attic is approximately.
Preparing an attic for insulation.
Recessed light fixtures in the second floor ceiling gaps around the drop down stair to the attic and numerous clearance holes drilled from the attic to run wiring or install grilles connected to attic ductwork.