The Advantages of Spray Foam Insulation

There is no better home insulating material that can seal your home from air and moisture intrusion, save on costly utility bills, strengthen your home, and protect your family’s health from dangerous mold, airborne pollutants, and allergens than spray foam insulation. The immediate benefits of spray foam insulation include:

  • Stops air and moisture infiltration
  • Makes your home more comfortable
  • Saves on energy costs
  • Adds strength to the building structure
  • It is permanent and will not sag
  • Keeps dust and pollen out
  • Reduces capacity requirements, maintenance and wear of HVAC equipment

Lower your energy bills

Because of the insulating properties and efficiency associated with spray foam insulation, the load placed on your HVAC unit is also greatly reduced. This equates to a unit that will not only last longer, but will also operate more efficiently. For new home construction, the choice to insulate with spray foam gives the homeowner the option of reducing the cost and size of an HVAC unit by half. Additionally, the installation of a ground-source heat pump (geothermal) system from Southeast Geothermal, Inc., coupled with spray foam insulation can save you between 70% and 90% off your heating and cooling costs each month.

Keep the Cold, Pollen and Humidity Outside

There is no better home insulating material that can seal your home from air and moisture intrusion, save on costly utility bills, strengthen your home, and protect your family’s health from dangerous mold, airborne pollutants, and allergens than spray foam insulation. Closed cell polyurethane 1.8 lb. foam insulation has 2.188 times the “R” value and 2.87 times the efficiency rating of fiberglass insulation. And because closed cell spray foam has a perm rating of .87, it forms its own moisture barrier. Two inches of closed cell polyurethane spray foam insulation will protect you from -30°F to +240°F.

Enjoy the Peace & Quiet

Not only does spray foam create a barrier to keep air out, it also helps to keep noise out. It is proven to  exterior noise levels by up to 20 decibels. Since our perception of noise levels doubles every 10 decibels, spray foam has the potential to make your home up to 75% quieter.

Wall Strength and Structural Support

Walls are the main structural component of any building or structure. With wood frame construction, the combined weight of the roof and any weight supported by the roof (ie. snow) push down on the walls with a compressive force. From the sides, wood frame structures also take on lateral loads imposed by strong winds and winds gusts that tend to distort the walls because of the shearing force. Building codes require walls to be designed to withstand these loads. However, when walls are built to minimum safety standards, you may experience wall creaking during high winds and/or overall house shaking when doors are slammed or the kids are actively romping around.

In a series of racking tests*, walls with and without polyurethane spray foam insulation were compared. Two exterior facing materials were tested:

  • vinyl siding installed over 15 lb. building paper
  • 5/8″ textured plywood siding

All walls were faced with half-inch sheet rock on the interior using 16″ stud spacing. Where spray foam insulation was used, stud cavities were essentially completely filled with a density of 1.5 lb/ft³.

Where spray foam insulation was not used, results of the test indicated the maximum racking load on the vinyl-sided walls to be at approximately 1,000 lbs., and 3,000 lbs. for the plywood siding. However, in the walls insulated with polyurethane spray foam insulation, the maximum racking load supported was almost 3,000 lbs. for the vinyl siding sample, and over 5,000 lbs. for the plywood siding. This equates to an increase in wall strength of over 50% where spray foam insulation was used.

Green building makes a green planet

Obvious long-term benefits from having a more energy-efficient home include reduced energy consumption and reliance on fossil fuels. The added structural integrity that spray foam insulation provides results in a structure that will last longer and won’t require insulation upgrades, which create debris for landfills. Plus, the application of spray foam insulation is a cleaner process than other insulating materials, which means less mess and waste right from the start.