I want to upgrade my attic insulation. I have 2x6 beams and old unfaced R13-R19 fiberglass batts up there. I want to add R38 on top of the existing insulation. I am in San Jose, CA.
I can do cellulose, which will give me uniform coverage and is the least expensive option. But I've heard it's very dusty (even after it's done, my furnace hot air ducts runs in the attic), not easy to deal with if I need to go up the attic and do something, and boric acid/ink may give off bad VOC.
I can do blown-in fiberglass, but how do I ensure the contractor won't fluff the insulation? I am also not fond of the idea of lose fiberglass floating around in the attic. They may get sucked into the furnace duct and gets into the house.
I can do fiberglass rolls. Less chance of lose fiber floating around, and R38 is R38. But it may not insulate as well as blown-in since it's layed on top of my existing insulation and the coverage won't be as uniform as blown-in. But advantage is I can move it out if I need to go up and do something.
I am leaning toward the 3rd option. Assume the contractor does a decent job, will it provide adequate insulation? Between a reasonably installed (ie, average, not perfect) batt vs blown-in cellulose, how does the fiberglass batt compare? If it's 80% as good, then I think I am fine with it...
Thanks!
Raymond