The insulation in your home is supposed to provide an extra layer of defense against the extremes of cold and hot weather. It does that by preventing heat transfer either into or out of the home and preventing air leakage. At least, that’s the theory. The reality is that while standard fiberglass insulation does a decent job preventing heat transfer it is practically useless when it comes to preventing air leakage. That is why fiberglass batt insulation, as it’s called, has one of the lowest R-values of any insulation type: a mere 3.1 to 3.4 per inch. Fortunately, there are much more effective types of insulation available to homeowners today: spray foam insulation and external wall insulation. We will be focusing on spray foam insulation today but external wall insulation is another brilliant alternative. If you’re interested in adding wall insulation to your house, don’t forget to check local prices for the cheapest option.
3 Money Saving Benefits of Installing Spray Foam Insulation
For years spray foam insulation was thought to only have commercial applications. Recently however, homeowners have discovered its many financial benefits and it has begun to make significant inroads into the domestic insulation market. Here are 3 ways spray foam insulation saves you money.
Heating and Cooling Costs – Nearly half of all the energy consumed by the average home goes toward heating and cooling. Over the course of a decade that could add up to $20,000 – $30,000 or more given current energy costs. If you’re like most people you can think of plenty of things you’d rather do with $20,000 – $30,000 other than spend it on heating and air conditioning. If you insulate your home with spray foam instead of fiberglass you could significantly decrease your monthly energy bills and return a hefty chunk of that money to your pocket.
If you’re a skeptic think about this: fiberglass batts, as we mentioned, have an R-value of 3.1 to 3.4 per inch. The R-value of spray foam insulation by contrast is essentially double that at 6.0 to 6.5 per inch. These are not statistics we made up. These are scientifically verified numbers that are freely available to anyone who is interested. As you should be if you want to hold on to more of the money you make.
2. Fewer Home Repairs – How can insulation lead to fewer home repairs? It’s actually quite straightforward and has to do with the nature of spray foam insulation. While fiberglass sits passively between wall, ceiling and floor joists trying to deal with all the cold and damp air passing through your exterior walls, spray foam expands on contact with whatever surface you spray it on and aggressively pushes its way into even the smallest cracks and crevices, sealing them tight. When that happens your home is sealed against air leakage and moisture – in the form of humid air and rain water – is prevented from infiltrating your walls and causing the framework to rot, your wiring to corrode and even the paint on your walls to peel. The result: fewer calls to the electrician, carpenter and house painter.
3. Lower Medical Costs – Millions of Canadians suffer from allergies and most are painfully aware that their home is no safe haven. At least if it’s insulated with fiberglass batts. You see, fiberglass does not provide an effective barrier against air leakage and most of the allergens that infiltrate your home actually come through the walls and not through windows and doors (unless you leave them open all the time). By sealing your exterior walls with spray foam insulation you drastically reduce the volume of allergens in your home. Not only that, but because spray foam insulation provides an effective moisture barrier it prevents potentially dangerous molds from setting up shop and endangering the health of you and your loved ones.
To learn more about the many benefits of spray foam insulation for the home talk to your local spray foam insulation specialist today. Don’t let any more of your hard earned money escape through leaky walls.
