Whether you’re building a new home or you’re thinking about reinsulating your old home, knowing where to begin can be difficult at best.  What insulation system works best, how much do you need and what’s the most cost effective way to insulate are all important questions that should be answered long before you begin to consider insulating your structure. Use this guide to insulating your home and get the most out of your new insulation.

New Homes

Building a new home is the easiest way to insulate. But don’t just choose the cheapest insulation you can buy. R-values are used to determine the effects that insulation has on the structure. The higher the number, the better the insulation—or so they claim. R-values are tested in a lab and aren’t subjected to real world conditions like moisture and air penetration. Fiber based insulation will lose its R-value if it becomes wet or significant air penetration occurs. By using closed cell polyurethane spray foam, you can ensure that your homes R-value remains consistent, even when other materials don’t.

Existing Homes

Older homes weren’t built to the specifications of today’s modern day homes. Insulation wasn’t a big concern because energy costs were so low that it didn’t matter if the heater had to work harder to warm the structure. Today’s fuel prices are only going to become more costly, so many homeowners are choosing to reinsulate their home.

  • Walls- Reinsulating existing walls can be easily done by either adding an additional interior wall to the structure, or by filling the voids the between the studs or brick using a spray foam insulation.
  • Basements- It’s best to insulate the exterior walls of a basement because it also helps to relieve moisture problems that often plague basements. A rigid foam panel or extruded spray foam is used to cover the exterior walls.
  • Attics- The most cost effective space to reinsulate, attics can be covered with more fiber insulation, batting or spray foam. Spray foam prevents air penetration that can lower R-values of other fiber-based insulation.