Energy-Efficient Attic Hatch Covers: Where To Buy Now

Keeping your home comfortable during any season costs a lot because air conditioners and heaters cost money. But those costs could go even higher if your attic access openings are not sealed or appropriately insulated. 

Many people don’t think of attic hatch covers as necessary, but they go a long way in energy savings. You can find out more about them and where you can buy them in this article. 

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What Are the Most Important Features of an Attic Hatch Cover?

When buying an energy-efficient attic hatch cover, choose one with an R-value similar to the attic’s insulation and durable material. It should also provide an excellent air and gap seal. These qualities ensure the cover effectively prevents air from escaping through gaps and cracks. 

What To Look For In an Energy-Efficient Attic Hatch Cover

Home insulation and air sealing are crucial aspects of energy efficiency. 

If your home is poorly insulated or sealed, air and heat can go in and out, making it harder for air conditioners and heaters to cool or warm it. As the machines and system work more, this leads to higher energy costs, as reflected on your bill. 

However, people are not usually aware that insulation and sealing between rooms are also crucial. Thus, they don’t notice that gaps and cracks between doors and walls allow air to escape between rooms. 

Attics are one part of the house where air sealing is crucial. That’s because gaps and cracks in your attic’s hatch or door allow air and heat to flow in or out. 

The air conditioners and heaters in the rooms directly below the attic will then find it harder to cool the space during the summer or warm it up during the winter. Therefore, you must ensure your attic hatches or doors are tightly sealed and insulated. Attic hatch covers are an excellent way to seal the opening. 

When looking for an energy-efficient attic hatch cover, the qualities you should seek include: 

• An R-value similar to attic insulation
• Providing a good air seal
• Durable materials

Now that you’ve seen the rundown let’s look at each of these features in greater detail.

An R-Value Similar to the Attic Insulation

R-value indicates thermal resistance or a material’s ability to resist heat flow. 

Temperature fluctuations are prevented when heat and air cannot flow or escape freely. Thus, equipment won’t have to work harder to maintain consistent, comfortable temperatures. 

A similar R-value is also crucial for consistency. If your material’s R-value does not match the attic’s needs, it will not be efficient in keeping the heat in. 

The recommended R-value varies from one home to another. For instance, houses with an attic hatch near the home’s entrance will need more insulation than those with attic doors near the garage. 

Sealing Gaps and Cracks

Homeowners often overlook air and gap sealing, but when done efficiently, you could have around 15% worth of energy savings. Besides that, you can also enjoy a more comfortable environment with reduced condensation and prevent ice dam formation. 

The hatch cover you choose should be able to seal the gap between the door or ladder and the frame. 

It’s the same concept as your front door – you don’t want gaps between the door and frame. If there’s a crack, chilly air can go in during the winter, and your conditioned air can escape during the summer.  

Composition of Durable Material  

It’s also essential you choose a cover made of durable material. After all, it will experience a lot of stress and force as you open the door or ladder several times over a certain period. 

If the chosen material cannot withstand the constant opening and closing of the attic hatch or door, the problem of air and heat escaping will reoccur over time. 

The Best Energy-Efficient Attic Hatch Covers

You can DIY the insulating and air sealing of your attic access and hatches. However, this process might be quite a hassle. 

Commercial attic hatch covers are a convenient and efficient alternative to manually measuring and attaching attic hatch insulators and sealants. 

There are two kinds of covers: 

• Zipper-type 
• Removable board 

The product recommendations listed below are all available on Amazon.com.  

Energy Wise Attic Door Insulation Cover

You can install this zipper-type attic hatch cover within ten minutes. When the zipper is closed, the cover with its double bubble insulation does an excellent job of preventing heat and airflow. It’s also accessible, so you can easily open and close it as needed. 

This hatch cover is fireproof, waterproof, and tear-resistant, making it durable against mechanical stress and other elements. It also has a reflective aluminum finish reflecting up to 97% heat. The material’s R-value is 15.5.

Lastly, the cover is designed to fit most standard-sized attic hatches or doors. Its exact dimensions are 25 x 54 x 11 inches (66 x 137 x 27 cm). 

Whistler Attic Stairs Insulation Cover

This attic hatch cover from Whistler is also a zipper-type for easy opening and sealing the entryway. It’s designed to have space for storage of an attic ladder. The insulation cover is made of fireproof and reflective material capable of reflecting 95-97% heat. 

This insulation cover has the exact dimensions of the Energy Wise cover. However, its R-value is slightly lower at 15.4. The seller does promise a lifetime warranty and a money-back guarantee. 

SmartATTIC Attic Door Insulation Cover

Like the previous two covers, this aluminum attic hatch cover from SmartATTIC has a zipper. As a result, it has a similar R-value to the Whistler cover, which is 15.4. The dimensions are also standard-sized. 

This cover promises a high reflective rate of 97% heat. It’s also made of non-toxic, environmentally-friendly, and non-carcinogenic material. 

SmartATTIC offers a bigger version of this product if you need a more extensive attic door cover. The features and materials are similar, except the dimensions are 30 x 60 x 11 inches (76 x 152 x 28 cm). It’s also available on Amazon—check it out through this link. 

Attic Tent ATT-at-5 Attic Cover

Another oversized attic door cover is this one from Attic Tent. Its dimensions are 30 x 60 x 13 inches (76 x 152 x 33 cm), which can fit an attic ladder with a 30 x 60 inch (76 x 152 cm) opening.

Besides its significant size, this Attic Tent cover stands out for its material. Unlike many others made of aluminum, this one is nylon. However, it does have a significantly lower R-value of 3.2-6.6. 

DIY Energy Efficient Attic Hatch Cover

If you prefer to assemble your own attic hatch cover, it’s also possible. The US Department of Energy even provides directions and suggestions, which you can check out through this link.

Should you decide to DIY your attic hatch or door cover, these are the materials you’ll need: 

• Rigid foam board
• Blanket insulation
• House wrap
• Nails, screws, tape, or other forms of adhesive
• Measuring tape
• Saw, utility knife, or other cutting materials 
• Caulk 
• Caulk gun
• Spray foam insulation
• Plywood or lumber 
• Weatherstripping

As you can see, you’ll need a lot of materials and effort to construct your own hatch cover. Thus, we recommend you check out some of our product recommendations above. 

However, if you cannot find a cover that fits your attic hatch’s specific dimensions, you may have to go for DIY. After all, a well-fitted atn tic hatch cover is the key to insulation and sealing, leading to better energy efficiency and a lower energy bill in the long run.     

Final Thoughts 

For many households, poor insulation and air sealing in attic access openings are the main reasons for their excessive energy bills. Such conditions allow the free flow of air from one space to another, making it harder for equipment and home systems to maintain temperatures.

Attic hatch covers are one of the easiest ways to prevent such free flow. They’re efficient and easy to install, especially on standard-sized attic hatches.

We always seal the attic hatch cover if it’s inside the house, because that conditioned air is being paid for with the energy going into the HVAC expenses in the end. We hope this helps!

Sources

• Attainable Home: Air Sealing vs. Insulation: What’s Better For Efficiency?
• Attainable Home: What Is an Insulated Door? (Are They Energy Efficient)
• Central Alabama Electric Cooperative: Insulating and Sealing Your Attic Access
• Attainable Home: Air Sealing Your Home For Efficiency: Your Ultimate Guide
• Energy.gov: Do-It-Yourself Savings Project: Attic Stairs Cover Box

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