Insulation acts as a barrier to heat loss and heat gain, particularly in roofs and ceilings, walls and floors.
Half of the energy we use to heat or cool our homes can simply leak out without insulation.
Insulation helps to:
There are several types of insulation you can choose from when building or renovating your home or place of business. EnergyLock offers open-cell spray foam insulation and closed-cell spray foam insulation. We insulate metal buildings, wooden buildings and non-vented attics.
Spray Foam Insulation is designed to fill all cracks and crevices, is applied quickly and dries fast. It is mold resistant and can easily be applied to awkward spaces, such as around pipes.
There are two types of spray foam insulation – open-cell and closed-cell.
Less expensive, creates an excellent sound barrier, typical R-value of 3.5 to 3.7 per inch, perfect for interior walls.
Creates an air tight barrier, typical R-value of 6 per inch, perfect for attics and exterior walls, creates a moisture barrier
There are two types of foam-in-place insulation: closed-cell and open-cell. Both are typically made with polyurethane. With closed-cell foam, the high-density cells are closed and filled with a gas that helps the foam expand to fill the spaces around it. Open-cell foam cells are not as dense and are filled with air, which gives the insulation a spongy texture.
The type of insulation you should choose depends on how you will use it and on your budget. While closed-cell foam has a greater R-value and provides stronger resistance against moisture and air leakage, the material is also much denser and is more expensive to install. Open-cell foam is lighter and less expensive but should not be used below ground level where it could absorb water. Consult a professional insulation installer to decide what type of insulation is best for you.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy
Sprayfoam acts as an air tight barrier to heat loss and heat gain, particularly in roofs, ceilings, walls and floors. When a house uses conventional fiberglass or other air permeable materials, the building will breathe in an uncontrolled manner, relative to wind and changing air pressures. During the winters, heated air rises, penetrates though the air permeable barriers (such as fiberglass) and is lost through the vented roof. This requires the heat source to continually reheat the cold air that comes in through the walls and floor to replace the hot air lost through the roof.
It is important that the building “breathes” but only air impermeable sprayfoam insulation allows control of how the building breathes. In a very small, air tight environment with potential for high moisture levels, it is recommended that a moisture sensor be installed in conjunction with a ventilation fan that can kick on when the moisture in the air is high enough that it needs to be vented and allow fresh air to replace it. In a larger environment (a typical home), where there is plenty of air volume relative to the amount of insulated coverage, occasionally opening windows and doors with normal use, allows for sufficient breathing of the building. Fresh air from occasionally opening windows and doors with normal use is far more efficient than having the hot air continually escaping without any control. It is always best to check local building codes and requirements first, when planning to install foam insulation.
For sufficient ventilation in a building the EPA recommends .35 ACH (natural Air Changes per Hour) or stated another way: 1 full air change in a building every 3 hours.
Most sprayfoam buildings have between .5 ACH and 2 ACH, which means that most sprayfoam homes (remember some are hybrids), even though the foam is airtight, still allow for a natural air change within the EPA’s recommendations without additional ventilation.
There are many other ways sprayfoam insulation saves money:
