Insulation Option

In order to make your home more comfortable and save lots of energy, insulation is very necessary. The main purpose of insulation is to stop or reduce the amount of heat that transfers outside the house, which means that the house would not need to use much of the heating system. The insulation would make your house comfortable in all seasons; you will feel warm during the winter and cool during summer.

If your home is under insulated, you need to start putting up the insulation process right away. Normally, people would put the system in exterior walls, under basement slabs, basement walls, and in floors.

There are several types of insulation, and each of them has a numerical value, which is measured with R. Houses in northern climates need a higher R value of insulation then the southern climates. For instance, in the northern parts, you would need R-38 to R-45 for insulation for ceilings and attics while in the southern parts you need R-30 to R-38.

Blanket is one type of insulation which is made of fiberglass, mineral, plastic or natural fibers. This type of insulation is very popular because it is considered easy to install, and it comes in batts or rolls.

Fiberglass batts is the most used type of blanket, which is made from sand and glass products. The reason why it is commonly used is because it is lightweight and easy to install in open spaces.

There is also another type of insulation, which is the blow in insulation. This type has many kinds of forms like loose fiberglass, cellulose, and mineral wool fibers. Blow in insulation is perfect to be used for filling empty spaces and irregular shaped cavity in the house. While some insulation types can be done by you, blow in insulation needs to be installed by a professional installer.

There is a foam type of insulation system, which is a sprayed liquid that forms foams which hardens in place. The foams will fill the gaps and cracks on your walls and floors. The materials of the sprayed foam are polyurethane foam, phenolic, cementitious foam, and PIR foam.

Rigid insulation is one type that gives a high insulating density. It is made of fiberglass, mineral, or wool. Usually this insulation system is put in spaces that are able to endure high temperatures.

To be used on floors, ceilings, foundation walls and unfinished walls, you would need foam board insulation type. If you use foam board, you would need to cover it with gypsum board for fire safety. Foam board is made from polystyrene, polyurethane, or plastic foam materials.

If you want a type of insulation that can be done without the help from a professional installer, you have another choice beside blankets, which is reflective insulation. This system is made from aluminum foils and is used with a special backing, which consists of plastic film, kraft paper, card board, or polyethylene bubbles.

If you like insulation from natural materials, then you can choose the natural fiber insulation which is made from cotton and sheep�s wool. This insulation system is available in batts and rolls.

The last one is the recycled-material insulation, which is, like its name, made from mostly recycled material. With the recycled insulation, it would really save your energy and money.