Common practice in some areas still has it pegged at r 19.
Hot attic insulation.
Building codes vary among the thousands of jurisdictions but a typical requirement in hot climates is r 38.
Whether using loose fill or batts put the vapor barrier closest to the warm side of your installation where hot moist air would get in facing the house s interior in cold climates beneath floor insulation and the attic s interior in hot climates on top of floor insulation.
Within the attic insulation is a must.
For hot climates where most of the radiant heat hitting the attic comes from sunlight radiant barriers should be draped from the attic ceiling or installed between the roof beams.
With insulation more is usually better.
Some regions don t require a vapor barrier.
The most important factor to consider in a warmer climate is the addition of a radiant barrier to whichever type of insulation you select.
Focus a lot of energy pun intended on the underside of the roof to keep the heat out of the attic and not just the floor of the attic.
And yet for example our fresno calif franchise abc cooling routinely insulates attics from r 50 to r 60 in home retrofits.
The two basic types of attic insulation are rolled insulation and blown in attic insulation.
You can use products like radiant barrier on the underside of the roof spray foam or even good old fashioned batts of rock wool denim or fiberglass.
A good way to gage if more insulation is necessary is to look in your attic for ceiling rafters.