Insulation is an integral part of any energy efficient home. It reduces energy bills, noise, and keeps your home warm in winter and cool in the summer.

The Solar Energy Industries Association notes that a properly insulated home uses half the energy of a non-insulated home. Adding insulation allows you to prevent the leakage of heat from you home’s walls, flooring, ceilings, and foundations. This translates into an energy savings by preserving heat during the winter and keeping heat from entering in the summer.

Insulation choices should be based on the home’s construction materials. For example, steel studs conduct heat at a much faster rate than wood studs. Steel studs should be covered with insulated sheathing to minimize the heat transfer. No insulation techniques are necessary when using wood studs.

Insulation is measured by what is known as an R-value. The R-value is a measurement of an insulation’s ability to resist heat flow. The greater the R-value, the greater its effectiveness in insulating. You can achieve even higher levels of energy efficiency by installing insulation that has an R-value that is greater than the minimal requirement. The proper insulation for homes varies upon climate. For example, northern climates typically have heating needs that are driven by the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures.

R-value guide:

• Wall R-values typically range from R-11 to R-23
• Floors R-values generally range from R-11 to R-25
• Ceilings range from R-19 to R-5

Many older homes were built using construction practices that didn’t include insulation. In this case the most efficient way of achieving energy savings is to add insulation to an un-insulated attic.

To get the most energy savings from insulation, it must be installed correctly. Effectiveness may be reduced by up to 50 percent if insulation is improperly installed with gaps and excessive compression. For safety purposes, keep insulation away from any devices that may produce heat such as lights, furnaces, water heaters, and fireplaces.

Types of Insulation:

Fiberglass insulation:

Fiberglass insulation is actually long woven glass fibers coated with a binding agent most used as blanket-like batts. Available as rigid boards and loose-fill, they are relatively easy to install, making them highly popular. Fiberglass insulation offers the benefits of being fire and mold resistant while its R-value is largely unaffected by small amounts of moisture. Drawbacks include the fact that batts, which are designed for normal spaces, do not fit well into irregular ones, resulting in areas void of insulation, allowing air movement and a reduction of the R-value.

Mineral-fiber insulation:

Very similar in look and feel to fiberglass, this form of insulation shares the same benefits and drawbacks. However, it includes slag wool spun into fibers made from melted industrial steel. This form of insulation is considered to be good for insulation around chimneys because it is resistant to melting and combustion.

Cellulose thermal insulation:

Containing at least 70 percent post-consumer paper waste, this form of insulation is chemically treated to resist fire, corrosion, vermin, and fungal growth. Made from finely shredded newsprint, it is available in a loose-fill form. Cellulose from insulation may either be poured or installed by using a blower. A drawback is that if installed improperly, it may become settled, reducing the effectiveness.

Vermiculite:

Vermiculite is actually a mineral that, when heating, forms a material that has insulating properties. Vermiculite is easily installed by hand. Treated vermiculite has a coat of asphalt allowing it to repel water. Its benefits are that it is non-combustible and odorless. Unfortunately vermiculite does not exhibit an R-value as high as other types of insulation.

Rigid foam insulation:

Rigid foam insulation is fixed in the form of rigid panels directly to the framing. It is actually made from sheets of polystyrene and can be applied to the interior or exterior part of the wall. If used inside a wall, it must be shielded by a fire-resistant material such as wallboard. The material is now available in CFC-(chlorofluorocarbon) free form.

There are also several types of the foam that utilize post-consumer recycled content originating from recycled fast food packaging. When the panels are sealed, rigid foam insulation serves as an excellent air and vapor barrier. If the foam is used externally, it will most likely deteriorate unless protected from exposure to sunlight and moisture. In addition, rigid foam instillation is generally more expensive than other insulation materials.

Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF):

For added efficiency new construction designs are available that use foam blocks otherwise known as insulated concrete forms. During a residential or commercial construction phase foam blocks are filled in with concrete. This technique works to boost R-value to a rating of 21 and higher. ICF’s are so well insulated that manufactures predict a 75% energy savings from a homes heating and cooling costs. Due to the added insulation, homes can reduce the size of their heating and cooling system up to 50%. In addition homes using ICF are resistant to fires, earthquakes, termites, and are highly soundproof.

Although there are several forms of ICF from various manufacturers, they are all identical in principle. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development the cost of using an ICF system is generally higher that conventional construction practices.