How much does it cost to insulate an attic in 2026?

Jan 20, 2026

Jamie Unruh

When thinking about updating your home, most people think of renovating their kitchen or bathroom, changing flooring or adding new fixtures, and those are great things to tackle to increase the value of your home. But there’s one space in a home that most might not have considered, in fact, it might be over your head – literally. Yes, I’m talking about your attic.

Depending on the age of your home, the insulation might need a little TLC. It could be as easy as a top up of fiberglass loose fill, or perhaps you want a more permanent solution such as spray foam, or a mix of both spray foam and fiberglass. These are all possible ways to update your attic space while also conserving energy and reducing your monthly bill.

When considering updating attic insulation, a good overall budget to have is between $2.00 and $10.00 per square foot depending on what is needed. Other updates such as roof venting or replacing a bath fan exhaust hose are extra costs that might come up. We’ll narrow down the prices of each insulation system below.

"update your attic space while also conserving energy and reducing your monthly bill"

Hybrid: Spray Foam & Fiberglass

Although spray foam does have a higher cost up front, it does have the highest return on investment through energy savings, and a hybrid system of spray foam and fiberglass can be a little more friendly on your budget.

The first step requires removing the existing insulation. From there, two inches of spray foam is installed on the attic floor. The amazing thing about spray foam is that it also acts as a vapor barrier, and an airtight one at that. The foam keeps the warm, conditioned air where it’s supposed to be: inside your home.

Quick side bar here: when talking about insulation, we also need to address the term “R-value.” This is the measure of thermal resistance which can tell us how well the heat is kept in or out of abuilding. The higher the number, the better the insulation. For reference, the R-value for batt and poly is 3.2 per inch of product. Closed-cell spray foam has an R-value of 6.1per inch of product.

Now, back to business.

Once the foam has sealed all the cracks and cured into its permanent solid state, the fiberglass loose fill is blown in. The 2-inch foam layer itself creates an R-value of 12. Adding the fiberglass withR38 tips the total R-value up to 50.

Based on a 1,000 sq. ft. home, a basic install of the hybrid system will cost between $8 to $9 per square foot, which equals about $8,000 to $9,000.

If the removal process involves other types of insulation such as woodchips, mineral wool or batt and poly, the cost increases to around $9 to $10per square foot because these products are either too difficult to vacuum up or it has to be removed by hand, which takes more time and more labor to complete.

Spray Foam Alone

Another option for insulating an attic is to use 100% spray foam. Thisis great for attics that are also used as storage spaces. This set up alsorequires the removal of previous insulation, and then the installation of sprayfoam. Unfortunately, this can be cost prohibitive for many people. We talk in depth about the cost of spray foam in Alberta in this article.

The return on investment takes a little longer, but on the positive side, if you use your attic space for storage, it allows you to go into the attic without disturbing any insulation because the spray foam is rigid. Caution is warranted though so as not to damage the spray foam.

Again, based on a 1,000 sq. ft. home, installing just spray foam will run between $10 and $12 per sq. ft. The higher cost is attributed to the fact that upto four layers of foam is needed for the foam only option. Whereas the hybrid option uses one 2-inch layer of foam along with the loose fill fiberglass.

Top Me Up

Topping up what’s already in your attic is another cost-effective option and the most common option selected by clients. Again, based on a 1,000 sq. ft. home, adding more fiberglass loose fill to get the R-value up to current building code will cost $2 to $3 per square foot. Adding a rigid Styrofoam board to the hatch of the attic is usually also included.

Using the 1,000 sq. ft. home example, topping up will cost about $2,000to $3,000.

Bear in Mind the Barrier

When contemplating which insulation product or system is the way to go, one thing to check out is how well your vapor barrier is working.

The vapor barrier separates the house from the attic, so if the barrier is not doing its job: preventing moisture from collecting, it’s time to replace it. Unfortunately, replacing the vapor barrier can be a huge task. There’s two ways to do this. First, which is more invasive to the homeowner, is to drop the ceiling completely and install the poly vapor barrier, then reinstall the drywall and insulation. The second, far less invasive, solution is to install a hybrid system.

Beyond Group will often recommend the hybrid route because the spray foam itself acts as a vapor barrier, which will keep your heating costs down long term. However, if you’re wondering what other insulation solutions look like, feel free to get in touch with us! We’re always happy to discuss potential projects and help our clients create a plan that works for you.

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