The U.S. Department of Energy recommends homes in southern climates to have 13-14 inches (R-38) of insulation and 16-18 inches (R-49) in northern climates, however, according to the Insulation Institute, over 90% of homes in the United States are under-insulated. This is rather unfortunate that local building codes only stipulate minimum performance standards, which are far below what home energy experts recognize as necessary today. That means that unless you’ve recently had an insulation upgrade, your attic is likely to have an inadequate amount of insulation and you are losing money dealing with uncomfortable, uneven temperature in your home.