Types of Insulation | Department of Energy. When insulating your home, you can choose from many types of insulation. To choose the best type of insulation, you should first determine the following: Where you want or need to install/add insulation. The recommended R- values for areas you want to insulate. Installing Insulation. The maximum thermal performance or R- value of insulation is very dependent on proper installation.
Homeowners can install some types of insulation - - notably blankets and materials that can be poured in place. Other types require professional installation. When hiring a professional certified installer: Obtain written cost estimates from several contractors for the R- value you need, and don't be surprised if quoted prices for a given R- value installation vary by more than a factor of two. Ask contractors about their air- sealing services and costs as well, because it’s a good idea to seal air leaks before installing insulation. To evaluate blanket installation, you can measure batt thickness and check for gaps between batts as well as between batts and framing.
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In addition, inspect insulation for a tight fit around building components that penetrate the insulation, such as electrical boxes. To evaluate sprayed or blown- in types of insulation, measure the depth of the insulation and check for gaps in coverage. If you choose to install the insulation yourself, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and safety precautions carefully and check local building and fire codes. Do- it- yourself instructions are available from the fiberglass and mineral wool trade group. The cellulose trade group recommends hiring a professional, but if there isn’t a qualified installer in your area or you feel comfortable taking on the job, you may be able to find guidance from manufacturers. The table below provides an overview of most available insulation materials, how they are installed, where they're typically installed, and their advantages.
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Mineral Wool Insulation Isn’t Like Fiberglass What you don’t know about mineral wool insulation will make you look stupid. Rock Wool Insulation Vs. Fiberglass Insulation. Rock wool and fiberglass insulation provide thermal barriers to minimize heat loss in walls, ceiling, floors and attics. Insulation provides property owners with a cost-effective.
Types of Insulation. Type. Insulation Materials. Where Applicable. Installation Method(s)Advantages. Blanket: batts and rolls•Fiberglass•Mineral (rock or slag) wool•Plastic fibers•Natural fibers•Unfinished walls, including foundation walls•Floors and ceilings. Fitted between studs, joists, and beams. Do- it- yourself.
Owens Corning wall insulation keeps your home comfortable and quiet. Learn how to install insulation in a weekend with this video. Insulation Type: R-value per inch: Durability: Cost/sf/R-value: Practice: Batt/Blown: fiberglass, batt : 3.2: may slump in walls; typical warranty 25 yrs: $0.037: standard: mineral fiber, batt : 3.2: may slump in walls: $0.039. USI provides Insulation Installation to improve energy efficiency. Call today to find a location near you and schedule your free estimate. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.
For finished basements it's best to install traditional faced or unfaced batt insulation between studs in a framed wall. Consumers can choose from among many types of insulation that save money and improve comfort. Chapter 5: Insulation: Materials and Techniques 63 Table 5-2 Economics of Foundation Insulation Systems Type of Treatment Energy Savings * ($/yr) Break-even Investment‡ ($) Masonry Wall R – 4 continuous vs. Insulation Fiberglass - 9 Reasons To Avoid. Safer Alternatives | High R + Radiant Barrier + Vapor Barrier in one product. Same Day Shipping.
Suited for standard stud and joist spacing that is relatively free from obstructions. Relatively inexpensive. Concrete block insulationand insulating concrete blocks. Foam board, to be placed on outside of wall (usually new construction) or inside of wall (existing homes): Some manufacturers incorporate foam beads or air into the concrete mix to increase R- values•Unfinished walls, including foundation walls,for new construction or major renovations•Walls (insulating concrete blocks)Require specialized skills. Insulating concrete blocks are sometimes stacked without mortar (dry- stacked) and surface bonded.
Insulating cores increases wall R- value. Insulating outside of concrete block wall places mass inside conditioned space, which can moderate indoor temperatures. Autoclaved aerated concrete and autoclaved cellular concrete masonry units have 1. Foam board or rigid foam•Polystyrene•Polyisocyanurate•Polyurethane•Unfinished walls, including foundation walls•Floors and ceilings•Unvented low- slope roofs. Interior applications: must be covered with 1/2- inch gypsum board or other building- code approved material for fire safety. Exterior applications: must be covered with weatherproof facing. High insulating value for relatively little thickness.
Can block thermal short circuits when installed continuously over frames or joists. Insulating concrete forms (ICFs)•Foam boards or foam blocks•Unfinished walls, including foundation walls for new construction. Installed as part of the building structure. Insulation is literally built into the home's walls, creating high thermal resistance. Loose- fill and blown- in•Cellulose•Fiberglass•Mineral (rock or slag) wool•Enclosed existing wall or open new wall cavities•Unfinished attic floors•Other hard- to- reach places.
Blown into place using special equipment, sometimes poured in. Good for adding insulation to existing finished areas, irregularly shaped areas, and around obstructions. Reflective system•Foil- faced kraft paper, plastic film, polyethylene bubbles, or cardboard•Unfinished walls, ceilings, and floors.
Foils, films, or papers fitted between wood- frame studs, joists, rafters, and beams. Do- it- yourself. Suitable for framing at standard spacing. Bubble- form suitable if framing is irregular or if obstructions are present.
Most effective at preventing downward heat flow, effectiveness depends on spacing. Rigid fibrous or fiber insulation•Fiberglass•Mineral (rock or slag) wool•Ducts in unconditioned spaces•Other places requiring insulation that can withstand high temperatures.
HVAC contractors fabricate the insulation into ducts either at their shops or at the job sites. Can withstand high temperatures. Sprayed foam and foamed- in- place•Cementitious•Phenolic•Polyisocyanurate•Polyurethane•Enclosed existing wall•Open new wall cavities•Unfinished attic floors. Applied using small spray containers or in larger quantities as a pressure sprayed (foamed- in- place) product.
Good for adding insulation to existing finished areas, irregularly shaped areas, and around obstructions. Structural insulated panels (SIPs)•Foam board or liquid foam insulation core•Straw core insulation•Unfinished walls, ceilings, floors, and roofs for new construction. Construction workers fit SIPs together to form walls and roof of a house. SIP- built houses provide superior and uniform insulation compared to more traditional construction methods; they also take less time to build.
Blanket: Batt and Roll Insulation. Blanket insulation - - the most common and widely available type of insulation - - comes in the form of batts or rolls. It consists of flexible fibers, most commonly fiberglass. You also can find batts and rolls made from mineral (rock and slag) wool, plastic fibers, and natural fibers, such as cotton and sheep's wool.
Learn more about these insulation materials. Batts and rolls are available in widths suited to standard spacing of wall studs, attic trusses or rafters, and floor joists. Continuous rolls can be hand- cut and trimmed to fit. They are available with or without facings. Manufacturers often attach a facing (such as kraft paper, foil- kraft paper, or vinyl) to act as a vapor barrier and/or air barrier. Batts with a special flame- resistant facing are available in various widths for basement walls and other places where the insulation will be left exposed. A facing also helps facilitate fastening during installation.
However, unfaced batts are a better choice when adding insulation over existing insulation. Standard fiberglass blankets and batts have a thermal resistance or R- value between R- 2. R- 3. 8 per inch of thickness. High- performance (medium- density and high- density) fiberglass blankets and batts have R- values between R- 3.
R- 4. 3 per inch of thickness. See the table below for an overview of these characteristics. Fiberglass Batt Insulation Characteristics. This table is for comparison of fiberglass batts only. Determine actual thickness, R- value, and cost from manufacturer and/or local building supplier.
Thickness (inches)R- Value. Cost (cents/sq. ft.)3 1/2.
Concrete Block Insulation. Concrete blocks are used to build home foundations and walls, and there are several ways to insulate them. If the cores aren’t filled with steel and concrete for structural reasons, they can be filled with insulation, which raises the average wall R- value. Field studies and computer simulations have shown, however, that core filling of any type offers little fuel savings, because heat is readily conducted through the solid parts of the walls such as block webs and mortar joints.
It is more effective to install insulation over the surface of the blocks either on the exterior or interior of the foundation walls. Placing insulation on the exterior has the added advantage of containing the thermal mass of the blocks within the conditioned space, which can moderate indoor temperatures. Some manufacturers incorporate polystyrene beads into concrete blocks, and surface- bonded assemblies of these units have wall R- values of R- 1 per inch. Other manufacturers make concrete blocks that accommodate rigid foam inserts that increase the unit thermal resistance to about R- 2 per inch. In the United States, two varieties of solid, precast autoclaved concrete masonry units are now available: autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) and autoclaved cellular concrete (ACC). This material contains about 8.
Europe since the late 1. Autoclaved concrete has ten times the insulating value of conventional concrete. The R- 1. 1 per inch blocks are large, light, and easily sawed, nailed, and shaped with ordinary tools. The material absorbs water readily, so it requires protection from moisture. Precast ACC uses fly ash instead of high- silica sand, which distinguishes it from AAC. Fly ash is a waste ash produced from burning coal in electric power plants. Hollow- core units made with a mix of concrete and wood chips are also available.
They are installed by stacking the units without using mortar (dry- stacking) and filling the cores with concrete and structural steel. One potential problem with this type of unit is that the wood is subject to the effects of moisture and insects.
Concrete block walls are typically insulated or built with insulating concrete blocks during new home construction or major renovations. Block walls in existing homes can be insulated from the inside. Go to insulation materials for more information about the products commonly used to insulate concrete block. Foam Board or Rigid Foam. Foam boards - - rigid panels of insulation - - can be used to insulate almost any part of your home, from the roof down to the foundation.