Whether you are building a new home or adding additional insulation in an existing home, it is great to know you have multiple options to make your home more energy efficient. Insulation helps to slow the heats transfer between the inside and outside of the home. Consequently, you are able to heat or cool your home less often. This turns into direct savings that a homeowner can pocket. In this blog we will explain 5 different types of insulation and the benefits of each.
Typically these batts and blankets are composed of fiberglass for fire proofing, however, there are also different versions that use plastic fiber and cotton. This type of insulation sits in between joists and studs perfectly and can easily be cut to fit any abnormal gap. This type of insulation is perfect for Do-it-yourselfers as it is fairly affordable, easy to install, and can be bought at your local hardware store. There are different density levels offering a great variety of R values for buffering existing insulation or adding new insulation all together.
Spray foam is easily some of the best insulation you buy but its is also some of the most expensive. Spray foam insulation does at closing gaps and sealing air leaks in walls. It is sprayed on in a very thin layer rapidly expanding to fill any space. There are a two different levels of polyurethane that can be sprayed onto walls, open-cell and closed-cell. Closed cell has the highest R value of any insulation and can easily be layered. Open-cell is a cheaper alternative with a little over half the R value. Spray foam is fantastic but it does come with a hefty cost and typically cannot be done by a DIYer.
Blown-in Insulation is another DIY friendly type of insulation and is often used in ceilings and other horizontal surfaces, although a sticky version can be used to attach to vertical walls. This insulation is made up of fiberglass, cellulose, or rock wool. It can fit in nearly any location and since it is blown in, it can be used in hard to reach areas. This type can also be purchased at most local hardware stores and a blower can be rented to put it in your home.
Foam board is often used in addition to other forms of insulation because it is easily attached to wood to decrease the amount of heat conducted in the wood. Since this is a solid for of insulation similar to the foam insulation, it has a very high R value. Foam board can be taped together with reflective tape to decrease the airflow between boards and increasing efficiency. For maximum R values, you will often see batts and rolls used in between studs and then covered with foam boards.
Often used in warmer climates, this type of insulation is used to reflect heat back out of a home and is not measured with an R value. Similar to foam boards, it is typically placed over the top other insulation to reflect the heat away from the home. This type of insulation is used in attics where most of the heat enters into the home with the heating of the roof. This type of insulation is also very DIY friendly.
Whether you are building a new home or improving an existing one, insulation is a fantastic investment that will pay you back for years to come. It is one of the best way to add immediate value to a home.
At Parkinson Building Group, it is one of our highest goals to provide you value when building your new home. We believe that picking the right insulation is very important in this process. If you are looking to build a new home, contact Parkinson Building Group today to learn more about the process!