What is Insulation?
Insulation is defined as a material used to insulate something, especially a building.

Basically, insulation is material used that reduces heat loss or heat gain by providing a barrier between the inside of your home and the significantly different temperature outside.

How Home Insulation Works
SprayFoamAtticWhether it is the winter or the summer, when you heat and cool your home, the insulation should work to keep the temperature inside consistent without the furnace or air conditioner running constantly.

The proper home insulation can help lower your energy bills while keeping your home a comfortable place to live and hangout in year-round.

It’s important when talking about insulation to understand how it will impact the conduction – heat transfer – and the convection – airflow – which will play a significant role in your home’s energy efficiency and comfort.

Airflow into or out of your home is the movement of air through gaps and holes in walls, the attic, crawl space, rim joists, doors, windows, and electrical outlets. This air leakage is a major problem in many homes, contributing to energy loss and discomfort.

Types of House Insulation
1000x563_InsulationTypes_jpgThere are three major types of insulation used in homes: foam, fiberglass, and cellulose.

Foam insulation comes in two different forms, which are spray and injection foam.

Spray foam is sprayed in an open cavity, like in new construction, attics, crawl spaces, rim joists, and pole barns, in a liquid state. The spray foam then expands and fills the cavity.
Injection foam is pumped into an existing cavity, like walls, which makes it great for insulating existing homes.
Spray foam can be either open cell or closed cell foam insulation.

Open cell spray foam is very light and pliable due to its composition. As open cell foam dries, the gas inside the cells escapes through openings in the cell’s wall resulting in foam that is light and pliable that shifts as it settles.
Closed cell spray foam is a much more dense and heavy composition. It creates a dense surface that is more resistant to weathering and temperature change.