Most homeowners pay $1.25 to $2.00 per square foot when the most common insulation types are used and recommended R-values, or insulation values, are achieved.
A properly insulated home is energy efficient and comfortable – two essentials for most homeowners.
This house insulation guide looks at the cost to insulate your entire home, and it details the insulation costs for different parts of the house including the attic, walls, and basement or crawl space. You’ll find links to pages with more detailed information on insulation for each part of your home.
The last section of this guide features cost factors to consider before beginning your project such as insulation types and DIY options.
House Insulation Cost Overview
How much would it cost to insulate a house? This chart gives you an idea based on the cost factors discussed on this page of Insulation Guides.
| Cost to Insulate a House – An Overview | |||
| Low Cost | Average Cost | High Cost | |
| Expect to Pay | $1.25 – $1.60/sq. ft. | $1.50 – $1.80/sq. ft. | $1.75 – $2.00 sq. ft. |
| DIY | Yes or No | No | No |
| Insulation Amount | Low | Low to Average | Average to High |
| Attic R-Value | Up to R-30 | R-30 to R-45 | R-40 to R-60 |
How Much Does It Cost to Insulate a House?
The average cost to insulate a 2,000 sq. ft. house is $2,500 – $4,000, or about $1.25 – $2.00 per square foot of floor space. This price includes all the materials needed plus professional installation.
Different parts of the house often require different types and amounts of insulation, and therefore vary in cost. Below we offer a more detailed look at the average cost to insulate different parts of the house.
Attic Insulation Cost
Average attic insulation cost is around $2.00 per square foot.
We start here because home energy efficiency starts in the attic.
Having R-30 to R-60 insulation in the attic keeps the heat inside in winter.
And that insulation keeps out the heat in summer. Just as vital, and maybe more so in hot climates.
Details: The cost for attic insulation materials plus labor is about $1.30 – $2.30 per sq. ft. for loose fill insulation, and $2.00 – $3.25 for roll insulation. The average cost to insulate an attic is $1,500 – $6,000. Why the high cost? Attics usually have about twice the insulation as other parts of the house, so the materials cost will be higher than in other areas.
To be fair, the upper end of that cost spectrum is if you choose spray foam insulation and encapsulate the attic rather than simply insulating it.
For full details on this topic, see our Attic Insulation Cost Guide.
Basement Insulation Cost
Insulating the basement is most commonly done by homeowners who are planning to finish their basement and make it a livable space. However, even if you aren’t finishing your basement, insulating it can help with energy efficiency and keeping your utility bills low. The foundation walls of your house tend to be cold and damp year-round, so insulating them will keep the cool air from seeping into your home.
The average cost of basement insulation is $1.45 – $2.25 per sq. ft. for rigid foam, and $1.80 – $3.50 per sq. ft. for fiberglass batt or roll insulation. Spray foam insulation costs more, again, depending on how thick it is applied.
Check out our Basement Insulation Cost Guide to learn more about this project.
Ceiling Insulation Cost
Not all ceilings are insulated.
But there are times that homeowners want the ceiling insulated to control the climate on various floors. If the ceiling is insulated, it is almost always done during construction of the home or if the ceiling cavity is exposed during a remodel in which the room is “gutted.”
If you do insulate the ceiling, it is similar to wall insulation, but on a horizontal rather than vertical plane.
Average Cost of Ceiling Insulation by Type:
- Roll and Batt: $0.90 – $3.35 per sq. ft.
- Loose Fill: $1.00 – $2.25 per sq. ft.
- Spray Foam: $1.47 – $8.65 per sq. ft.
- Rigid Foam: $1.65 – $2.75 per sq. ft.
For more information about ceiling insulation, see our Ceiling Insulation Cost Guide.
Crawl Space Insulation Cost
The average cost for crawl space insulation is $0.90 – $1.30 per sq. ft. for roll or batt insulation, and $1.80 – $3.80 for rigid or spray foam insulation.
Insulating a crawl space is important for the same reason insulating a basement is important – to keep moisture and cold air from leaking through the foundation walls into the house. The ceiling of your home’s crawl space is the subfloor to the first floor of the house.
For a ventilated crawl space, just insulating the ceiling will help prevent the air passing through the crawl space from entering your home. For a non-ventilated crawl space, make sure to insulate the walls as well. The best practice for a non-vented crawl space is to use rigid foam insulation on the walls and batt or spray foam insulation on the ceiling.
Our Crawl Space Insulation Cost Guide offers more details about this project.
Duct Insulation Cost
Duct insulation, also known as HVAC insulation, is a great way to keep air from escaping from your ductwork and bringing down your energy efficiency. There is a specific material made for duct insulation that is either fiberglass or mineral wool that is faced with an aluminum heat and moisture barrier. It is also sometimes called duct wrap. Duct wrap is manufactured in a blanket-like shape for easy installation.
Exposed ductwork is wrapped in insulation, and the material is taped firmly to remain snug to the ducts. You can buy insulated ducts, but if yours are not insulated, this is a project that quickly pays for itself in lower energy costs.
The average cost of duct insulation is $0.95 – $2.00 per sq. ft.
For a more detailed look at duct insulation, see our Duct Insulation Cost Guide.
Wall Insulation Cost
If you’re wondering how much it would cost to insulate a house, walls are one of the first areas you’ve probably thought of. Walls make up the majority of your home’s insulation square footage.
There are three main types of wall insulation that are commonly used in residential homes. These types are loose fill, fiberglass batt or roll, and rockwool batt. Of these three types, loose fill is the only kind that can be installed in walls that are already built! The other two types have to be installed before drywall. Loose fill can be blown into constructed walls by drilling a small hole in the wall that is patched up when the installation is done.
The average cost of wall insulation is $0.90 – $1.65 per sq. ft. for loose fill, fiberglass, or rockwool.
If you’d like to see more information about this topic, check out our Wall Insulation Cost Guide.
Water Heater Insulation Cost
Water heater insulation is one of the easiest ways to make your home more energy efficient. When your water heater warms up a tank of water that is not used right away, the water sits in the water heater and cools off until it is heated up again. This standby heat loss is what water heater insulation is made for.
A water heater blanket slows down the heat loss of water in the tank so that the water heater doesn’t have to work as hard to heat it back up again. The way to insulate a water heater is by installing a water heater blanket, which is a fiberglass wool blanket faced with plastic or vinyl.
The average cost for a water heater blanket is $20 – $75.
More details can be found on our Water Heater Insulation Cost Guide.
Window Insulation Cost
Poorly insulated windows are one of the main causes of heat loss and unwanted heat gain. Plus, the insulation blocks air leaks, which is vitally important.
The average cost for a window insulation kit is $2 – $3 per window with DIY installation. If you are hiring a professional to install the window insulation kits, the price will be about $5 – $8 per window.
Check out our Window Insulation Cost Guide for more details.
Cost Factors for Home Insulation
The average cost to insulate a house is around $1.75 per square foot. There are several main cost factors to consider before beginning your home insulation project.
Type of Insulation – The type of insulation you choose for your project will determine how much to budget for materials costs. In most cases, you will want to use multiple types of insulation depending on the area of the house. For example, fiberglass batt insulation might be best for the living room walls, while spray foam will be a better choice for the crawl space.
Amount of Insulation – The more of any type insulation you use, the higher the project cost.
R-Value – The higher the R-value, the better the insulation power. So, insulation that has a higher R-value will typically cost more per square foot. R-value stands for “resistance value,” and it is a measurement of how well an insulation resists temperature conduction. The R-value of an insulation generally depends on its thickness and density.
DIY or Professional Installation – A large part of the cost to insulate a house is the price of labor. If you hire a professional to install insulation, about half of what you pay for is just labor costs. This is because installing insulation is a tedious job that can be difficult in hard-to-reach areas. However, if you’re up for the challenge, you can save some money by doing the installation yourself.
In conclusion, insulating your house can be expensive BUT insulating your house correctly can save you a lot of money in the long run through reduced energy bills.